


Amortentia [Miya Atsumu X Reader]

by tsumusamu



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Atsumu is a dickhead, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Frenemies, Hogwarts AU, Idiots in Love, Implied Sexual Content, Japanese formalities sorry, KiyoYachi Crumbs, Miya Atsumu Is Whipped, Osamu is tired of this, Osasuna Crumbs, Pining, Slow Burn, Suna is just vibing, angst if you squint, atsumu realizes that he's a dickhead and gets kinda sad about it, frenemies to lovers, reader is stubborn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24163213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsumusamu/pseuds/tsumusamu
Summary: Since the very beginning of your time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you've never gotten along with Atsumu Miya. However, in your last year, you finally receive the rude awakening that it may indeed be true that there's a fine, fine line between hate and love.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Reader
Comments: 61
Kudos: 471





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave feedback!! I'd love to hear your thoughts on my shitty writing

It's the beginning of yet another fall term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You're finally entering your seventh and final year of schooling, and there's a nostalgic feeling that fills you as you watch a few first years at the front of the Great Hall giggle and squeal over the beauty of the castle while they wait to be Sorted in their House. You can't help but think about the moment you first stepped foot in this castle seven years ago, equally as star-struck as these new students. Never did you think you would reach the beginning of the end so soon.

You're seated at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall between your best friend, Kiyoko Shimizu, and a classmate of yours, Kenjirou Shirabu. You and Kiyoko start discussing the outcome of the Quidditch World Cup, both of you still shocked that Ireland had swept in and beat Bulgaria in the finals, ending their winning streak of three years. Kenjirou joins in, adding that he had lost ten Galleons from betting on Bulgaria with his friends. Both you and Kiyoko shoot him looks of sympathy.

"How could've I expected to end up ten Galleons poorer that night?" Kenjirou groans.

"You couldn't have. Bulgaria was the team predicted to win everywhere," you say matter-of-factly.

"Don't worry, Kenjirou. I would've betted the same." Kiyoko sighs. "It was a disappointing game. So many mistakes."

"Right? There was even investigation of whether they were drugged or not." Kenjirou grimaces.

"Guess they were just having a bad day. Happens to even the best athletes," you murmur. Your two companions nod in agreement.

The three of you continue to chatter about the match and the players, immersed in your conversation all up until —

"Howzit goin', troll?" A heavy arm slings itself across your shoulder as someone roughly shoves Shirabu away from your left side. Shirabu shoots a dirty look at the newcomer, and the two of them silently glare at each other until Shirabu just huffs and turns his gaze to the floating candles in the pseudo-night sky.

"Miya," you deadpan without having to look up. "This is the Ravenclaw table. Go back to your own House."

"Aww, yer no fun as usual, (L/N)," Atsumu Miya snickers in your ear, and you grimace before roughly shoving his muscular arm off, tilting your head away from his lips.

"The Sorting Ceremony's about to start, get out of here," you continue irritably, still not looking at Atsumu.

"Jeez, a dementor on the outside and the inside, aren't ya?" Atsumu laughs, a booming sound that annoyingly echoes in your head. "Didn't know that yer this interested in Quidditch, by the way. And here I was thinkin' that ya didn't even know the difference between a Quaffle and a Bludger."

"Seriously?" You roll your eyes. Just because he's some hotshot Qudiditch star or whatever, doesn't mean he's the only one who knows the _basics_ of the game.

"Hey, Miya, shut up and leave. We don't want you here," Kiyoko snaps rather irritably from your right. One of your Ravenclaw friends makes an uncalled-for remark about how good of a couple you guys would look. You narrow your eyes at her.

"Nah, think I'll stay right here," Atsumu drawls, completely unaffected by Kiyoko's harsh tones and sounding rather pleased by your other friend's comment. Annoyed, you finally whip your head around to scowl at him.

Big mistake.

Clearly you always underestimate how handsome this bastard is.

The glow from the flickering candles up above shine an alluring combination of shadows and light across Atsumu Miya's sun-kissed face. His dyed blonde hair, even in all its piss-colored glory, is effortlessly swept across his forehead. His hooded chocolate eyes, staring tauntingly back at you, sparkle mischievously in the most irritatingly charming way.

Your mouth runs dry as you stare at him for a bit too long.

Atsumu doesn't miss this, of course, his smirk growing ever-wide. "See? (L/N) can't get enough of me," he gloats triumphantly. Before you can protest, your lord and savior arrives.

A hand grabs onto Atsumu's ear, pulling him off of the bench. Atsumu lets out a yelp hat's a good number of octaves higher than his usual baritone as he's thrown onto the ground.

"Sorry 'bout him, (L/N)," Osamu Miya, Atsumu's identical twin (identical only in looks, because Osamu is a saint compared to his brother), sighs with an apologetic look on his features. It's strange to see such an expression on a face that's usually sneering at you.

"'Samu! Yer such a killjoy!" Atsumu complains loudly as Osamu drags him across the floor towards the Slytherin table.

"Shut the hell up, 'Tsumu," your hear Osamu scoff in reply.

Rintarou Suna, the twins' best friend, gives you a small nod in greeting before trailing after them.

You sigh deeply, relieved that yet another encounter with that piss-haired asshole has ended.

Atsumu fucking Miya. Where should you even begin?

The two of you have mixed like water and oil ever since your first year at Hogwarts. Your odd relationship with Atsumu began when he tried to intimidate you into leaving the compartment on the Hogwarts Express that he, his brother, Osamu, and their childhood friend Rintarou Suna had occupied. The other boys didn’t seem to mind your presence, but Atsumu was insistent, claiming that the compartment was ‘too crowded’ and that you needed to find another place to sit.

Being a Muggleborn, the whole idea of this magical world had been mind-boggling to you. You were amazed by this new adventure in magic that you had waiting for you that you never even knew existed. But you had spent a long few days trying to figure out how to buy your wand and textbooks, reading up on the wizarding universe, and attempting to get used to having a great horned owl (who you named Kou) as a pet, all while having to deal with your Muggle parents constantly worrying and nagging about you leaving home to attend this mysterious school.

You had no damn time or patience to deal with a brat who couldn’t accept that other people needed a seat on the train too.

You had ignored Atsumu’s whining and protests and instead planted yourself in a seat inside the compartment, anyway. Osamu and Rintarou had exchanged amused looks before introducing themselves, and you had politely told them your name in return. Atsumu, never to be left behind, rudely butted in and practically yelled his name in your face, causing you to grimace and tell him that his breath stank.

From that moment on, you were marked as the sworn enemy and rival of Atsumu Miya.

After bickering for the entire duration of the Sorting Ceremony, he was sorted into Slytherin and you into Ravenclaw. He had stuck his tongue out at you and mouthed ‘Loser’ when you walked past the Slytherin table to take a seat with your fellow Ravenclaws. You had immaturely done the same in return.

If you thought that was the last time you would see Atsumu Miya, since you were now in different houses and everything, you would have been severely wrong.

He made it a point to call out some kind of lame insult to you every time he passed you in the halls, such as ‘(L/N)! Yer hair looks like an owl’s nest!’ or ‘(L/N), what’s it like ta be a troll?’ You usually ignored his call-outs, pretending that he didn’t exist, and most of your friends just found him hilarious and charming.

There’s no doubt that he’s appealing, with that certain aura around him.

He is a pureblooded, proud Slytherin with exceptional athletic skills, hence his position as Beater on the Quidditch Team, with his brother as the other Beater. As you grew older, he also became quite the ladies’ man, constantly surrounded by hordes of girls. Even some of your own friends are part of the infamous Miya Twins Fan Club, which was dedicated solely to following the twins around, making extravagant banners to cheer Slytherin on at Quidditch games, and some... other questionable activities (like trying to steal a hair from a twin to make Polyjuice Potion? Yeah, you hope that one was just a rumor).

This whole ordeal wouldn't have even bothered you, had it not been for Atsumu's unfortunate presence in your life. If you had a Galleon for every time that a girl approached you asking for advice about Atsumu (because for some reason, your constant bickering has led them all to believe that you're somewhat close to him), you would easily make up for Shirabu's Quidditch World Cup bet.

In short, Atsumu Miya is a pain in your ass that you can’t get rid of.

Even in your seventh year, it seems like Atsumu hasn’t matured one bit, still every bit as irritating and obnoxious as ever.

At this rate, you don't think he'll ever change.

After the Sorting Ceremony and feast end (you made sure to eat extra treacle tart, as usual), you line up with the rest of the seventh years to lead your underclassmen to the common room. You notice a first year trip and take a pretty hard fall on his way up the staircase, and you pause to make sure he's alright. When he doesn't get up after a few moments, you decide go and check up on him, gently pushing past your fellow Ravenclaws that are continuing up.

"Are you okay?" You bend down and place a soothing hand on the little boy's back, shielding him from the crowds of Ravenclaws passing by. You're astonished that nobody else had noticed the boy on the ground. Then again, he is extremely tiny; you swear the first years get smaller every year.

"I-I'm alright!" The rather chubby boy exclaims, his face turning bright red as he looks up at you. "So pretty..." he mutters under his breath. You pretend not to hear him for the sake of both of your embarrassments.

"Here, can you stand up?" You support the first year as he attempts to wobble onto his feet.

"Think I twisted my ankle," he says so quietly that you almost have to strain to hear him.

"I'll take you to the Hospital Wing. Follow me." You conjure up a long, white bandage that wraps itself snugly around the poor boy's ankle. With your support, he is able to hobble down the corridors without too much pain.

The entire time, you try not to notice the little boy, bless his soul, staring at you like you're an angel sent straight from heaven. It makes you a little uncomfortable, and it's in a slightly relieved manner with which you pull open the door to the Hospital Wing.

"Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey, this student injured his ankle — " you barely get the words of your mouth before the concerned nurse takes the boy from you, ushering him to a hospital bed.

"Yes, yes, thank you very much, (L/N)," she mumbles absentmindedly. "Don't worry, I'll make quick work of this."

"Do you need me to stay and wait?" you ask.

"No need, I'll ask a ghost to escort him back to Ravenclaw Tower." You see the way the boy's face pales significantly at the mention of ghosts, and you feel a bit of pity.

"Actually, I think I'll stick around for a few minutes."

-

"You're a seventh year, right?" The first year, who you found out is named Takeru Oikawa, asks you with wide, round eyes filled with awe. His ankle is all patched up and ready to go, and he's skipping along next to you as the pair of you head down the corridor towards Ravenclaw Tower.

"Mmhmm," you hum. "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask me, okay?"

"Yes, (L/N)-san!" Takeru flushes pink.

You chuckle quietly to yourself, picking up the eagle door knocker on Ravenclaw Tower's door and letting it fall with a dull thud.

"Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?" The heavy, bronze knocker asks.

"A circle has no beginning," you reply, and the door swings open.

"Thank you so much, (L/N)-san!" Takeru waves to you, a toothy grin on his face, before rushing off towards the boys' dormitories. You wave back with a smile of your own. You hope he stays out of trouble.

You make your way towards your own dormitory, softly humming the Sorting Hat's song that had reverberated throughout the Great Hall a few hours earlier. As soon as you open your dormitory's door, you're met with the sight of Kiyoko and your other roommates, Eri, Runa, and Mako, all sitting up in their beds, peering at you with concern and curiosity.

"Where were you?" Kiyoko questions as you stroll to your bed and collapse on it, still fully dressed in your robes.

"Helping a first year who got hurt," you reply, your voice slightly muffled by your sheets.

"Oh, gee. We thought that perhaps Miya finally made a move on you," Runa says dreamily with a giggle. You groan. _Not this shit again._

"Did you see the way he looked at (Y/N) today?" Eri sing-songs.

"With disgust?" comes your dry comment.

"No! It was like he wants to kiss you so bad, or maybe get you in his be — OW!" You cut off Mako's words with a pillow to her face.

"Not funny," you grumble.

"C'mon, leave (Y/N) alone. Miya's an asshole," says Kiyoko, the only voice of reason.

"Give him a chance! That poor boy's so in love with you!" Eri sighs dramatically.

"I don't know what your idea of love is, but whatever Miya has for me is definitely not it," you scoff. "He hates me just as much as I hate him."

You miss the way your four roommates share a skeptical glance.

"Maybe he doesn't express it in the best way," Runa admits. "But he means well."

"'Means well', my ass." You drive your face further into your bed, as if trying to snuff out any thoughts of Atsumu Miya.

"What about when he tried to ask you to the Yule Ball in our fifth year?" Mako brings up.

"For the last time, he wasn't trying to ask me. He was trying to humiliate me since he knew that no one else had invited me."

"Or the way he turns around and winks at you during every Quidditch match he sees you at?"

"Because he wants to annoy me."

"When he offered to buy you a butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks?"

"Probably would've poisoned it."

"How about when he tried to give you flowers on Valentine's Day last term?"

"Those weren't for me. He just shoved them in my face and asked me if red roses are really my favorite."

"Well, aren't they?!"

"Yeah, and...?"

"He was trying to give them to you, dummy!"

"No, he wasn't!"

"Don't you ever notice how he stares at you across the corridor all the time with a lovesick look on his face?"

"He does not."

"Does."

"Does not!"

"Does!"

"Lay off her," Kiyoko jumps in, trying to defend poor you. "Even if Miya does have feelings for her, he's always a little shit towards her. (Y/N) deserves better." Even Runa, Eri, and Mako can't argue with that logic.

"Exactly. I'd rather go out with a squid from the Black Lake," you grumble. Your friends all laugh. "Enough about Miya. I don't even want to _think_ about him."

"Alright, we'll let it all go just for tonight," Eri chirps, and you simply sigh.

"How was everyone's summer break?" Kiyoko butts in, effectively turning the topic of conversation away from Atsumu, and you shoot her a grateful look.

"It was great! Mum and I visited Egypt," Runa announces.

"That's so cool! What did you see there?" Mako questions excitedly.

"Oh, the pyramids were beautiful! They were fascinating, but you know _who_ was even more fascinating?" A far-off look crosses Runa's face, and you all groan.

"Who did you fall in love with this time?" Eri deadpans.

"Hey, he was cute!" Runa shoots back indignantly.

"That's what you say about _everyone_ ," Kiyoko says pointedly.

"You're all so mean to me!" Runa dramatically flops back onto her bed, earning teasing laughter from the rest of you.

It's a bit saddening to know that this will be the last year you'll be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Part of you almost envies those little first years at the Sorting Ceremony earlier that night; so full of wonder and amazement with so much to discover. You wish you could turn back time and relive the six years you've spent here once more.

But as you chatter away with the friends you've held close and dear across the past six years of schooling, something within you knows that perhaps, it might be the beginning of the most special year yet.

-

Your first official day of classes is going quite well. You've enjoyed your lessons so far, each one smooth-sailing and simple as the introductory units should be. You're relieved that Transfiguration, Charms, and Arithmancy have all gotten off to a good start.

You’re just minding your business, holding your books tight to your chest on your way to Potions class. Your mind is wandering to what kind of food the kitchen elves would be serving for lunch today, and whether Kiyoko, the only one who seems to actually take her studies seriously these days, would want to meet up in the common room to compare Arithmancy notes.

"(L/N)-san!" You look to your right to see Takeru smiling brightly at you, and waving, hurrying across the corridor towards you.

"Hi, Takeru," you greet kindly. "How's your day been so far? Is your ankle bothering you at all?"

"It's been great! And no, not even a bit, thanks to you!" Takeru gazes at you with reverence reserved for a goddess. You smile a bit sheepishly, a little puzzled by his overwhelming respect for you but amused nonetheless.

"I'm always happy to help — "

Your conversation is quickly and rudely interrupted by a certain someone.

"Hey, shrimp. Whatcha doin' 'round here? Yer classes can't be anywhere near this area durin' this time of day." Atsumu Miya.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Poor Takeru stutters, backing away from the tall, blonde seventh year leering down at him.

"Relax, he was just going on his way." You glare at Atsumu. "You're scaring him."

"Good," Atsumu replies, eyes drilling into Takeru, who's shaking like a leaf.

"Don't mind him, Takeru. Be careful, okay? Maybe we'll see each other again."

"(L/N)-san, i-is that your b-boyfriend?" Takeru takes a step back as Atsumu continues to sneer condescendingly.

"No!" you exclaim.

"Yes," Atsumu declares at the same time.

Takeru looks from you to Atsumu, confusion written all over his face. But he's smart enough not to pry into the seemingly very complex situation that the pair of you are entangled in.

"Alright, th-thank you again, (L/N)-san!" He scampers away quickly.

"Why did you do that? He's just a first year!" You round on Atsumu, but sadly, thanks to the rather large size difference between the two of you, he isn't intimidated in the slightest. The way he has to tilt his head way down to look at you is just a little humiliating.

"He was lookin' at you with creepy googly-eyes. Don't trust kids these days, (L/N). Ya never know what's goin' on in their little heads." Atsumu shrugs, casually adjusting his green and silver striped tie like he didn't just scare away an innocent eleven year old.

"The person I shouldn't be trusting is you, Miya," you retort.

"Yeah, yer right, ya shouldn't be." He smirks, cocking an eyebrow at you. You scowl; you're not about to let your morning be ruined by him.

"Right, so stay away from me."

Without giving Atsumu a chance to do so much as open his mouth one more time, you immediately speed-walk down the corridor, far, far away from him.

“Oi, (L/N)!” You grit your teeth upon hearing the familiar smug tone of his voice continue follow you to your class.

“Screw off, Miya. I’m not in the mood to deal with you today,” you snap as he falls in step beside you, anyway.

“Aww, why so grumpy, sweetheart?” he teases, not the least bit fazed by your cold words.

“I thought I told you to _screw off_ ,” you repeat, glowering at Atsumu.

“Didja forget? Slytherin has joint Potions with Ravenclaw today, I’m just goin’ in the same direction as ya,” he informs you, smirking slightly. You blanch at the reminder. “Ya know, for a Ravenclaw, ya sure are dumb.”

“Shut the hell up,” you grumble. He continues to babble some nonsense in your ear as the two of you stride down the corridor to your class, with you not even bothering to listen to what kind of shit he has to say.

“Ya smell like strawberry again,” he suddenly remarks. “That yer shampoo or somethin’?”

“Yeah. What about it?” you respond, unamused. “And by the way, are you aware of how unpleasant your cologne smells?” You won’t ever admit that you actually like the musky, woodsy scent.

“The other ladies like it, sounds ta me like ya don’t have a sense of smell.” He smirks, running a hand through his blonde undercut. Your frown deepens at how unfairly attractive the gesture is.

“Okay then, stinky,” you say dismissively, pretending to plug your nose.

“Whatever, troll,” he responds with an irritated huff, and the corners of your mouth turn up at your victory.

However, much to both of your distastes, with your bantering, you end up being late to Potions.

“Miya. (L/N). You are late,” Professor Snape barks. “And on the first day of term, too. How very disappointing. Ten points from Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and detention for both of you.”

You and Atsumu roll your eyes, before suddenly and simultaneously coming to the horrid realization that, since everyone else had already paired up, you are now partners with each other for the lesson.

_Great._

You occupy one of the chairs at the last empty desk in the corner of the room, now in a sour mood. Atsumu slides into the seat next to you, looking equally unenthusiastic. With how the two of you get along, you would definitely receive bad marks for this lesson, especially since Snape is already pissed off.

“Today we are making amortentia,” Snape drones. “Does anyone know what this potion does?”

Keiji Akaashi, a fellow Ravenclaw, raises his hand. “It’s the most powerful love potion in existence, and makes the drinker become madly infatuated with whoever brewed the potion, sir.”

“Correct. Five points to Ravenclaw.” You’re relieved that Keiji is already able to earn back half the points you lost. You don't want anyone grilling your ass about house points later. “And can anyone tell me what the characteristics of amortentia are?”

You find yourself daydreaming about lunch again; Merlin’s beard, you are seriously hungry. You hadn’t really eaten breakfast, as you had woken up late after catching up with your roommates well into the wee hours of the night. After a whole summer apart, the five of you had talked and chatted and gossiped until light began to filter through the window. Thus, you all ended up missing the first meal of the day.

What you would do for a treacle tart right now.

“(L/N).” Your thoughts are interrupted by a rude smack to the head. You grimace in disdain for a moment before you pale at the sight of Professor Snape holding a notebook in his hand, the item he had used to hit you with. “Pay attention to the lesson.” _SMACK!_ This time, his blow is to Atsumu, who had also been sitting with glazed eyes and an unhinged jaw. “You as well, Miya. Your amortentia better be flawless or I’ll make sure your detentions are extended until the end of the term.”

“Fuckin’ hell, grouchy asshat,” Atsumu mutters under his breath, and for once in your life, you agree with him.

“You may begin work on your amortentia potions immediately,” Snape continues, thankfully choosing to ignore Atsumu’s comment. “Directions are on page five-hundred sixty-four of your textbook.”

“(L/N), is yer dumbass any good at potions?” Atsumu has the nerve the question you.

“I got an O on my OWLs for Potions, Miya; otherwise I wouldn't be in this class,” you retort, flipping to the correct page in your book. “I’ll go gather the ingredients, you preheat the cauldron to the temperature given in the book.”

“Yes, commander,” the blonde replies mockingly.

“I’m not letting you screw up my Potions grade; don’t mess around or else,” you warn.

“Yeah, yeah, I got an O for Potions as well, Miss Perfect. I know what I’m doin’,” he reassures you with an eyeroll. You ignore his attitude and head towards the supply closet to grab the materials needed.

“Ashwinder egg... peppermint... rose thorn...” you mumble as you retrieve the materials off the shelves. "...Ah, crap." The pearl dust is on too high of a shelf for you to reach.

"Need help?" Yukie, a Slytherin girl who's a good few inches taller than you, offers.

"Yes, please," you say sheepishly, stepping aside to allow her to retrieve the ingredient for you.

“You're partners with Miya, right?" Yukie's best friend Kaori asks you. You nod. "Ah, have fun with that."

You snort.

"Yeah," Yukie chimes in, handing you a jar of pearl dust before reaching back up to take one for herself. "Hope he's not like the last time I was partnered with him."

"What did he do?" you ask out of curiosity.

"Shoved me aside and insisted on doing all the work himself." Yukie rolls her eyes. "Got in trouble with Snape because of it."

"Ass." Kaori sighs. "Good luck with him, (Y/N)."

"Thanks..." You laugh nervously and give them a small nod to say goodbye.

You were not planning on starting off in Potions with a bad grade, and yet here you are.

You're still worrying a bit as you bring the ingredients back to where Atsumu had finished preparing the cauldron. You place the materials on your shared table, eyes darting to look everywhere but at him as you search for a distraction.

“...Nice fans you got over there,” you comment sarcastically after a moment, subtly flicking your chin in the direction of a few girls who keep glancing enviously in your direction.

“Jealous?” Atsumu smirks. “Doncha worry ‘bout a thing, sweetheart, ya know I only have eyes for you.” You make a disgusted gagging noise.

“Well I don’t _want_ your eyes on me,” you counter, finally daring to make eye contact with him. “I’d rather have your brother.”

Osamu, who’s a few tables away from you with Rintarou as his partner, suddenly can feel a storm coming.

“What?!” the blonde boy exclaims. “Ugly ‘Samu? Over me?”

“You have the same face,” you scoff, unbothered as you begin to add the ingredients to the cauldron per the instructions in your textbook.

“I’m so much better than shitty ‘Samu,” he complains, and you know you’ve hit a nerve. From your endless banter over seven years, you’ve figured out by now that he absolutely hates it when people prefer Osamu over him.

Personally, you do actually prefer Osamu over Atsumu. You are on good terms with Osamu, as you politely greet each other in the halls or in classes, and occasionally, he and Rintarou would ask you for help on homework (okay, maybe for just the answers, but that's besides the point).

You never had this kind of peaceful interaction with Atsumu, only constant bickering and jabbing.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Atsumu suddenly questions. You raise your eyebrows. “I can tell the gears in yer small brain are turnin’ real hard.”

“Just thinking about how I like Osamu so much more than I like you,” you tell him nonchalantly, watching in satisfaction as his smug smile wipes clean off his face.

“The hell ya talkin’ about?!” he cries out. “Shitty ‘Samu’s got nothin’ on me!”

“Mmm,” you hum in a non-committal manner. “Anyway, pass me the powdered moonstone.” He scowls but hands you the jar.

“Why d’ya like ‘Samu more than me, (L/N)?” Atsumu gripes. “I’m clearly the cooler twin.”

“You just keep telling yourself that,” you say mildly, calmly stirring the mixture in your cauldron.

“Hmph.” Atsumu huffs like the man child he is, crossing his arms over his chest.

The two of you continue to work in silence, even with Atsumu in a grumpy mood. At least he does somewhat help you with the amortentia, which you are very relieved for, since it is an advanced and powerful potion that you aren’t sure you could manage to make yourself, something that you’d never admit to Atsumu. You also relax a bit in knowing that he isn't intending on treating you like he did to Yukie, hanging her out to dry in the wrath of Professor Snape. The work is split pretty evenly between the two of you, at least evenly enough that Snape didn't have anything to say about it.

Ten minutes before class ends, you and Atsumu finish the amortentia.

The mixture has an aesthetically-pleasing, shiny silver sheen, with a gentle stream of steam billowing from the top. It looks like it should, which means that it most likely went right. The only thing left is to test the scent.

“You first,” you say, inviting Atsumu to catch a whiff of the potion before you. That way, if it ends up smelling terrible, he would be the one to experience it, not you. He seems to pick up on this intention, as he shows you a very unkind finger before leaning in to take in the potion’s scent.

He reels back.

“Does it smell bad?” you quip, although based on his reaction, the answer is pretty clear.

“No,” he says, surprising you. “It just...” He cuts himself off to glare at you. “Merlin’s Beard, (L/N). How much of yer damn strawberry shampoo do ya use, anyway? It _reeks_.” You grimace at his accusation.

“Excuse me?” You defend yourself. “I use a normal amount, thank you very much!” Since he apparently won’t tell you what the stupid amortentia smells like, you decide to smell it for yourself.

Almost immediately, the musky, woodsy scent of pine, grass, and something warm and inviting fills your nose. You jerk back from the cauldron the same way Atsumu did, your eyes wide.

“ _You’re_ the one telling me that _I_ reek?! Speak for yourself, asshole, did you spray your whole bottle of cologne on yourself this morning?!”

“How many bottles of shampoo do you go through in a week?!”

“Haven’t you ever thought about the fact that you _can_ spray too much cologne?!”

The entire class watches you argue back and forth, stunned how two students who had made such an advanced potion absolutely perfectly could be so dense.

Even Professor Snape is slightly amused by the situation, not bothering to break up your argument for the sake of his own entertainment.

“You’re the worst, Miya!”

“Right back at cha, (L/N)!”

“Hey, dumbasses,” Osamu suddenly cuts in, and the two of you whip your heads to look at him indignantly.

“What?!” you both exclaim, fire in your eyes. Osamu sighs.

“Doncha know what amortentia is supposed ta smell like? Look at yer textbook.” Atsumu and you both look down at your textbooks.

‘Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It is distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from the potion in spirals. Amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them.‘

“According to what...” you mutter.

“Attracts them...” Atsumu finishes quietly. The two of you immediately turn bright red while the whole class roars with laughter at the sudden realization.

Just then, the class bell strikes, signaling the end of class, and ending your and Atsumu’s misery, for now.

Atsumu and you quickly gather your things, your faces still burning and unable to look at each other. It all seems so stupid; the two of you are seventh years but acting like first years who had just found out what a crush is.

“Mr. Miya, Miss (L/N). Do not think I’ve forgotten about your detentions,” Professor Snape drawls from the front of the room. “Meet me here tonight at eight o’clock, I will have you grade the first years’ potions pre-exams.” Ah, yes. Professor Snape's infamous pre-test that he gives to all first years on their first day to "test their knowledge" (you're sure it's just an excuse to humiliate vulnerable first years). You remember you had a breakdown because you had no idea how to answer any of the questions.

“Yes sir,” you chorus in unison, although you are both internally screaming.

The two of you hurry out of the classroom, shoulder to shoulder but not once looking at each other.

Osamu and Rintarou are waiting outside for him, and upon seeing them, Atsumu straightens up quickly, glancing briefly at you his usual smirk back on his face. You sigh. _Him and his big, fat ego_.

You give him a look of scorn at his sudden change in attitude before walking in the opposite direction to your next class. You tell yourself not to think too much of it. So Atsumu likes the way you smell. Cool. It’s not like that means he loves you or something.

And even though you have to admit that you like the way he smells, you know, for absolutely fucking sure, that you do not love him.

You are not attracted to Atsumu Miya. You just appreciate his cologne, and that's it.

 _Keep telling yourself that_ , a voice in your head teases you.

You miss the way that chocolate eyes follow after you as you leave the corridor, burning into your back with their intensity.

-

You sit anxiously at a random desk in Professor Snape’s classroom, right foot tapping nervously against the floor. _Thump. Thump. Thump._

“Will you stop that, (L/N),” Snape grouches as an order, not a request. You immediately obey, but this doesn’t calm the nerves in your stomach.

Atsumu is twenty minutes late, and Snape hasn’t given you any work to start doing yet, which definitely means that you would be kept in here for even longer.

“Asshole can’t even show up on time,” you groan under your breath.

“Sorry I’m late, Professor, sir!” Atsumu comes flying in, his blonde hair messy, his robes wrinkled, and his green tie halfway in place. “I was... occupied.” There's sweat running down his neck and he's out-of-breath. There are fresh red marks on his hands, likely from his grip on his Beater bat, and you swear you see a few blades of grass nestled in his hair and on his clothes. It's clear he had just come from Quidditch practice, which is unsurprising for him, but did he really have to stay on the pitch long enough to make himself late _and_ extend your misery?

“Learn to be punctual, Mr. Miya. At least Miss (L/N) learned from her mistake from earlier today,” Snape snaps, before waving his wand to distribute a stack of papers onto your desk and the desk next to you. “Begin your work now.”

A small spark of annoyance erupts in you when Atsumu sits himself next to you, even though you knew he had every reason to, as Snape had dropped the papers onto that desk, after all. Still, having him in such close proximity makes irritation course through your veins.

You and Atsumu grade the exams in silence, with Snape watching the two of you like a hawk.

About an hour into the two-hour long detention, Professor McGonagall appears in the classroom doorway.

“Professor Snape, the Headmaster is looking for you.” She glances at you and Atsumu, and you both blink owlishly at her upon her intrusion. “Ah, detention students?”

“Yes,” Snape replies in a bored manner. “If the Headmaster wishes to see me, I will go.”

“Do you need me to stay and watch these students, Professor?”

“Hm.” Snape gives you a once-over, before shaking his head. “They’re seventh years. Don’t bother.” Then the two of them leave you and Atsumu alone in the otherwise-empty classroom.

The only sounds that fill the room are the scratching sounds of your and Atsumu’s quills. It’s the most awkward almost-silence you’ve ever experienced.

...That is, until Atsumu decides to break it.

“Hey.” His tone isn’t teasing or accusatory for once. He sounds serious. “About earlier today. With the amortentia.”

“What about it?” you quip, not taking your attention off the exam you are grading. Merlin’s Beard, how could anyone get the question ‘What are the effects of the Polyjuice Potion?’ wrong? _It's the pre-exam,_ you remind yourself. _It was their first day of class. They haven't learned anything yet._

“...I like you, (L/N).” You drop your quill in surprise at his sudden confession. Whatever you were expecting to hear from him, this was definitely not it.

“What?” you ask dumbly.

“Are ya deaf?” Atsumu reaches down to pick up your quill for you, setting the writing utensil back onto your desk. “I said I like you.”

“...Huh?” you say hollowly. Your brain can't quite register the words coming out of his mouth. Were your friends really onto something?

“I...” He clears his throat. “I’ve liked ya since the beginnin’, ever since we met on the train."

“You...” you start slowly, turning to face him. "...like me?"

"Yeah," Atsumu replies easily. "I do." Your mouth falls slightly ajar.

"I..." You're at a brief loss for words.

“So.” A slow smile spreads across his face. “Are ya acceptin’ my love, sweetheart?” You take a deep breath, trying to collect your thoughts and get your emotions back in order.

“This isn’t a funny joke, Miya.” You sigh, shaking your head in utter disbelief. There are so many questions running through your head right now, but you don't want to hear him attempt to entertain them. This simply has to be a prank. “Get back to grading.” His smile shrinks.

“S'not a joke,” he tells you rather quietly, and you almost cave. Almost.

"How am I supposed to believe that? You told me yourself this morning that I shouldn't trust you."

"This time I'm not messin' around — " He pauses, realizing that he's not really helping his case. "Look, (L/N), I wouldn't lie about this."

"Isn't your fan club enough for you? Does it kill you that much that there are people who don't go kissing the ground you walk on?" You snap back irritably. "I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but stop. I've had enough."

Atsumu opens his mouth to speak again, but slowly closes it as you completely turn your attention away from him. You know you are being a bit harsh, but you can’t care less. You're done with Atsumu Miya’s bullshit for one day, that’s for sure. The sudden confession makes absolutely no sense, and you have no reason to believe in his feelings since he's always just made sure to be a thorn in your side for seven years. How is that supposed to equate to romantic feelings?

An hour later, after Professor Snape had returned from Dumbledore’s office and the two of you finished grading the exams, you are finally let go from detention.

You and Atsumu walk silently side by side, until you reach the fork in the hallways where you are supposed to separate.

Before you can make the turn towards the Ravenclaw Tower, Atsumu catches your wrist in a strong, but surprisingly gentle grip.

“(L/N).” You raise an eyebrow at the sudden use of your first name. “Please, listen for a second.”

“Okay.” A pause. “It’s been a second, goodbye.” You try to tug away but to no avail. “Miya, I swear to — “ you’re cut off by him suddenly pulling your body into his arms, crushing your face into his broad chest. You almost melt at the tender way he holds you, like you are the most fragile object in the entire world. Embarrassingly enough, the tension and irritation in your body evaporates almost immediately. His hands move to rest on your waist, you feel him lean down a little to prop his chin on top of your head.

The hallways are empty at this time of night, as it is just a few minutes before curfew. Would you be embarrassed if someone finds you like this? Absolutely. But would you want to leave his embrace? _Absolutely not_ , you find yourself thinking.

You really think you might be going crazy.

“...Sorry. Jus’ wanna hold ya and pretend for a second that ya don’t hate me.” You feel your heart pang painfully at his words.

“I... I don’t hate you,” you say before you stop yourself. Atsumu stills.

“Ya don’t?” he asks uncertainly.

“...I don’t,” you confirm shakily.

As much as you want to claim that you do, there's something stopping you from doing so.

You feel his hands move from your waist to your cheeks, softly lifting your face off his chest and tilting you up to look him right in the eye. You hear his breath hitch in his throat.

“Yer gorgeous, ya know that?” he tells you breathlessly.

“So I’m not a troll? Or a dementor? Or a kappa?” You recite several of the names he’s called you over the years.

“No,” Atsumu answers without a single trace of mirth in his eyes. This is so unusual, you almost want him to insult you just to confirm that he hasn’t been possessed or something. “I... yer really pretty.” You feel yourself flush involuntarily. Instead of making fun of you for your reaction like you thought he would, a wistful sheen layers itself over his eyes as his thumb traces your left cheekbone. “I like you, okay? Do as ya please with that information, everyone knows about it already, anyway."

"W-What?" you stammer, startled by that last remark.

"Yeah. Everyone knew. Except yer dumb ass, of course."

"Hey!" you exclaim indignantly, trying to shove him away, but he refuses to let go.

"Sorry, sorry." Atsumu chuckles softly into your hair. "That just... slipped out." Then he shuts his eyes, letting out a sigh. “Sorry 'bout all this, (L/N). I just thought that, after the whole amortentia thing, maybe ya liked me back. But it must’ve been a fluke on yer end. Don’t worry ‘bout it.”

You stare up at him in silence. His thick eyebrows are drawn together in frustration, and his usual smirking mouth is tight-lipped and down-turned. You’ve never seen him look this... distressed.

“...Atsumu.” His eyes snap open at the sound of you saying his given name.

“Yeah?” he responds almost immediately.

“You’re really not messing with me?” A small quiver of uncertainty is present in your voice, one that causes Atsumu’s frown to grow deeper.

“M'not,” he insists. “M'really not, (Y/N). I like ya a lot.” You take a moment the process his words, nervously biting your lower lip.

“I don’t trust you,” you confess, suddenly not able to meet the intense gaze he keeps on you. “You’ve messed with me for seven years, Miya. How could I know that this isn’t just some dumb prank?”

“Lemme kiss ya,” he suddenly requests. Your body stiffens like a board against his, your eyes bug out of your head, and your mouth drops in shock.

“W-What?” you stammer intelligently.

“Jus’ wanna kiss ya.” The low baritone of his voice, usually so bright and teasing, sends shivers down your spine at its new sensuality. “Please.”

The light circles he draws on your cheeks with the pads of his thumbs and the genuine, pleading look in his chocolate eyes are enough to send you over the edge.

Against your better judgement, you let out a small ‘Okay’ from your trembling lips. You watch as many emotions flicker in Atsumu’s eyes, everything from hesitation to desire to uncertainty to nervousness to affection.

His face draws closer to yours, now mere centimeters away. Your eyes naturally fall shut, and you wait for his lips to press against yours.

But it never comes.

Instead, you feel one of Atsumu’s hands leave your cheek and drop down to grasp your right hand, before lifting your hand up. You open your eyes in surprise just in time to see him press his lips against each of your knuckles, one by one, his gaze no longer focused on yours, but fully trained on your small hand that he worships with kisses.

“Soft,” he whispers against your skin. You feel electricity shoot through your veins with every brush of his mouth against your hand, your body growing warmer and warmer with each passing second.

When he finishes kissing the last knuckle of your tiny pinky, he switches to your other hand, doing the exact same thing. You feel your blush creep down to your neck and threaten to overtake your entire body.

What the hell is Atsumu Miya doing to you? Weren’t the two of you arguing and glaring at each other mere hours ago? And why are you enjoying this so much?

“Is this how you charm the two hundred girls of your fan club?” you quip, trying to clear your mind and pull yourself together. No matter how caring and affectionate he seems to be right now, Atsumu Miya is still Atsumu Miya, a cocky, troublesome jerk who constantly likes to get under your skin.

“I don't do any charming,” he replies seriously, skimming his lips along your ring finger. “They come to me, and I wouldn't bother with anyone else if I had you." You start feeling a bit lightheaded; this is too much; he is too much.

“It’s nearly past curfew,” you remind him softly. “We should get going.” Atsumu presses one last lingering kiss against your left pinky before slowly and reluctantly letting go of your hand.

“Yeah,” he agrees rather sulkily. “We should.” Atsumu looks you in the eye again, and you can feel yourself go weak in the knees despite the simple action. “I really do like you. Now that ya know, there’s no use in pretendin’ anymore. You’ll have me chasin’ after ya from now on.”

“Is that a threat?” you raise an eyebrow.

“Hmm.” A smirk crosses his face, and instead of irritating you like it usually does, it only makes your stomach twist nervously. “If ya want it to be.” He takes a few steps away from you in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room. “S'pretty late, sweetheart. Better get goin’, hmm? Wouldn’t wanna get caught with the big, bad Slytherin.”

“Big and bad?” You snort. “Like anyone would ever think that of you.” His chocolate eyes glitter mischievously.

“Oh, you’d be surprised.” He grins. “Let’s see how long you’ll hold against me till ya become my girl, (L/N),” Annoyance spikes into your system, and suddenly, Atsumu seems like Atsumu again, with his infuriating smirk and arrogant aura. You narrow your eyes at him in retaliation.

“Fine. Let’s just see then, Miya.”

\---

Please leave any feedback you may have! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this is super fucking long (for me at least) i got way into writing the quidditch match and beating around the bush blah blah blah i hope it's still readable omg... also some third years will be mentioned that are supposed to be graduated already (since they r supposed to be one year older than atsumu and you) but uhhhhh idgaf and i'll use their characters cuz i can k thx bye

It’s been about a month since the detention with Atsumu, and well, you’re doing your best to avoid him like the plague.

You can’t pinpoint the exact reason, however you do have your guesses. Maybe it’s because every time you catch a glimpse of him, your heart gives a tiny jolt of excitement. Maybe it’s because every time you recognize his voice in the halls, your breath hitches in anticipation. Maybe it’s because every time you overhear someone talking about him, you automatically tune in to listen.

You, for lack of better description, absolutely hate it here.

It’s not like Atsumu has been trying to do the same to you. You see him lingering around you as usual, although he has stopped calling you names when he passes you in the halls. Instead, he now opts to make intense, smoldering eye contact with you that never fails to make heat rise to your cheeks, letting the right side of his mouth twitch upwards before suddenly breaking his gaze away and going on his way.

Honestly, you’d rather him call you ‘troll’ for the rest of your life than continue to pull this shit.

At the very least, he’s somewhat been giving you space. Atsumu hasn’t approached you directly since that night, and you’re not exactly making it easy for him to do so, anyway. You've been drowning yourself into your studies more than usual; the prospect of N.E.W.T exams at the end of the year hangs ominously over you throughout your days. You are hoping to get a job in the Office of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry, and to do so, you're expected to achieve top marks. Not only have you been in a serious relationship with your textbooks, but you’ve also surrounded yourself by your friends more than ever, taking extra care to make sure that you’re never wandering the corridors alone or studying in someplace all by yourself. You know you’re being ridiculous; why are you so afraid of being around Atsumu?

Although you’d never admit it out loud, you know you're just scared of facing all of the mixed, conflicting feelings you have for him.

Thankfully, the last few days have been Atsumu-free. You know all the houses are holding Quidditch Trials to form this year’s teams, along with starting up the official training for the year. Since Atsumu is the new Captain of the Slytherin team, he of course is extra busy. You haven’t seen him at all in about three or four days, and it’s a huge relief. Out of sight, out of mind.

Your peace is short-lived.

You’re sitting on the edge of a fountain in the Hogwarts courtyard, engrossed with your Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. You’re well aware that you’re a bit of a nerd, but you can’t care less, not when werewolves are so absolutely fascinating. You are completely unaware that you’ve captured the attention of two Gryffindor fifth-years who are positively ogling you from a few feet away.

“That’s the girl you were telling me about?” The shorter of the pair, a freckled boy called Moore (although you don’t know of his existence) whispers to his partner in crime, another boy named Edwards.

“Yeah, she’s super hot, right?” Edwards sighs in admiration. “(L/N) is her name. A seventh year. Think I have a shot with her?” Moore laughs out-loud.

“No way, she’s far out of your league.” Moore grunts when Edwards elbows him in the stomach.

“Well too bad, I’m taking my chance,” Edwards declares.

“Are you sure someone like her is even single? I mean, how has no one snatched her up yet?" Moore reasons.

“Positive. I’ve been watching her for a while and she doesn’t seem to spend a lot of time with any boy; she mostly studies with her friend Shimizu. Who, by the way, is just as hot. You should ask her out and we could go on double dates,” Edwards suggests with a rather delusional grin.

“So you were stalking her. Loser. You think two seventh years would agree to go out with us?” Moore snorts.

“Nah, I know so. Watch this.” Edwards runs his hand through his short black hair and approaches you with as much confidence and swagger as he possibly can, leaving an exasperated Moore shaking his head, ready to witness his friend’s utter failure.

You still don’t look up from your textbook, not noticing the overconfident fifth year coming towards you. Your thoughts are wandering to where Kiyoko is. She was supposed to meet you here around fifteen minutes ago... oh well, you assume that maybe she got caught up with her Hufflepuff girlfriend, Hitoka Yachi. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Someone clears their throat from directly in front of you, and you finally glance up to see a black-haired boy smiling widely at you. His tie tells you he’s from Gryffindor. You’ve never seen him before. You wonder what he wants from you.

“Hello,” you greet him. “Do you need something?”

“Hey (L/N), babe.” You cringe slightly at the pet name. He pulls out his wand and transfigures a pebble from the fountain into a rose. “The name’s Edwards. Joseph Edwards. I’ve seen you around and I think you’re beautiful, inside and out. I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time in Hogsmeade with me this weekend?” 

“Um...” You blink in confusion as you watch the rose hover next to your hand, and you hesitantly uncurl your fingers from your book to accept it. You figured it would be a bit rude to ignore the kind gesture. But you're tongue-tied and hesitant; this is the first time anyone’s actually asked you out, and you’re not sure how to respond.

“I’ll show you a good time, promise.” Edwards grins charmingly at you, showing off his pearly, white teeth.

The other students in the courtyard have turned their attention towards the two of you, murmuring among themselves.

“No way, someone got the guts to ask out (L/N)?”

"Does he have a death wish?"

“Miya’s gonna kill that dumb little Gryffindor if he finds out...”

“Oh, I didn't know Miya and (L/N) were a couple."

“They're not, but everyone knows they have a _thing_."

"Poor kid doesn't know what he got himself into."

“Thank you,” you say awkwardly after a few moments of silence. “I’m flattered, really, but — “ You pause when you suddenly see Edwards's brown eyes widen to the size of saucers at the sight of something, or rather _someone_ , behind you. Your eyebrows furrow in a puzzled manner, and you turn around only to see Atsumu Miya himself pointing his wand directly at Edwards with a scathing look on his face.

“So I got the interesting news,” he starts, sarcasm dripping from every syllable, making it very apparent the he doesn't find the situation 'interesting' at all, “That a stupid fifth-year decided to ask out my girl.”

“Your girl?” Both you and Edwards exclaim at the same time, equally confused. Atsumu doesn’t respond for a moment, instead deciding to firmly place one of his strong hands on your shoulder to move you behind him, the other hand still pointing his wand at Edwards. Atsumu takes a few steps closer to Edwards, digging the tip of his wand into the younger boy’s neck.

“Yeah. My girl. What made ya think you could do that?” he hisses.

“W-Well, I didn’t know! And she’s not your girl!” Edwards shoots back, the fear in his eyes reflecting the trembling quality of his voice.

“He’s right, I’m not anyone’s girl.” You step forward and grab Atsumu’s wand-wielding arm. “Miya, leave him alone. He didn’t mean any harm.”

“Ya think so?” Atsumu chuckles humorlessly. He waves his wand, thinking, 'Levicorpus!' Then, in a blink of an eye, Edwards is flung into the air and hung by his foot onto a nearby tree by an invisible rope, a terrified scream leaving the boy’s mouth. Someone who you presume to be his friend, a short and plump black-haired boy, rushes forward and stares helplessly as he watches his friend sway upside down.

“Let him down!” you shout, moving to retrieve your own wand from your robes, but Atsumu stops you.

“Wait just a minute. Trust me, princess.” When you freeze at the sudden term of endearment, Atsumu takes the chance to flick his wand to the right, causing the boy to jerk in the direction. A flask falls from the boy’s robes onto the ground.

“Wait! Stop! I need that!” Edwards yells, but Atsumu ignores him, sauntering past Edwards's petrified friend to pick up the flask. He unstops the flask, briefly sniffing the solution.

“Amortentia, hmm? Where didja get that from? A little fifth year like you couldn’t have brewed it.”

“Not telling!” Edwards huffs rather boldly for someone who’s hanging upside down by the foot.

“Oh?” Atsumu casually flicks his wand, making Edwards start to swing back and forth. The younger boy lets out a series of girlish screams as he is lurched forwards and backwards.

“Got it from Snape! From his classroom!” Edwards confesses through scared wheezes, and Atsumu takes mercy on him and stills the poor boy once again.

“Someone’s been stealin’, I see.” Atsumu smirks triumphantly when Edwards grows even paler. “What would Snape do ta ya if he found out?”

“Please! Don’t tell him!” Edwards squirms and thrashes around.

“This is a _serious_ offense, ya know.” Atsumu lazily twirls the flask around in his hand. “You were tryin’ ta give this to someone. And yer unsuspectin’ upperclassman, no less. This oughtta get ya expelled.”

You’re staring blankly at the scene, in shock that a) your underclassman had tried to sneak you a love potion, b) Atsumu is defending you instead of harassing you for once, and c) you’re actually really grateful to him, despite the questionable way he is dealing with the poor fifth year.

You finally find your resolve to speak again when Edwards looks like he is about to puke, and you would rather not get vomit anywhere near you, thank you very much.

“Let him go," you tell Atsumu as forcefully as you can. You scowl when the tall blonde simply laughs at your order.

“Nah. He deserves this.” Mirth dances in Atsumu's chocolate irises as he watches Edwards's face turn greener and greener.

“Do it or I will." You start to think the countercurse, but Atsumu beats you to it.

'Liberacorpus,' he recites in his head, rather reluctantly. Edwards falls to the ground in a crumpled heap with a thud and a pained yelp, winded but otherwise unharmed. The other students in the courtyard sigh in relief that the whole ordeal is over, and turn their attention away from the scene.

“Please don’t tell Professor Snape,” Edwards begs, his hand hanging low as his friend Moore repeatedly asks if he is alright.

“Where did all that spunk go, kid? Hmm? Ya seemed pretty brave a few moments ago,” Atsumu mocks him.

"Please. Don’t tell!” Edwards repeats in desperation.

“I guess since I’m so kind, I won’t.” Atsumu yawns. “But listen here. If I ever see ya near my girl again, I’ll do worse than hang ya upside down. Much worse.”

“That’s enough, Miya.” You slam your textbook shut and stuff it in your bag. You don’t think Kiyoko is coming, after all. And you also need to get away from Miya before you freak out and do something stupid. You really don’t trust yourself around him right now. “Stop being a jerk.”

“The hell?” Atsumu pauses to glance at you. Edwards and Moore take advantage of his distracted state and scamper away. Atsumu's eyes are swimming with a mixture of irritation, hurt, and confusion. “I just saved ya from that prat. He was gonna give ya a love potion.”

“I could’ve handled myself just fine! You didn’t have to step in like that!” Your eyebrows furrow together.

“I know.”

“And you — wait... what?” Your face un-crumples as you slowly take in his words.

“I know. I jus' got involved ‘cause I was pissed at the kid for thinkin’ that he could give ya a potion. I know ya could’ve taken care of yer own self.” He gives you a crooked grin. “Maybe that’s why I like ya so much, y’know?”

You swear your entire face erupts into flames right then and there. "And... and, I'm not your girl!" you add as a hasty afterthought.

"Not _yet_ ," he corrects you, chocolate eyes twinkling with mischief. "You will be, though." You scoff, flicking your gaze away from his to stare fixedly at the ground.

“..H-How did you know? That he was gonna give me that potion?” you stammer out after a moment.

“I had ta stop by old Snape’s classroom earlier this mornin’. I had a bunch of late assignments to turn in.”

“Already? Term started just a month ago,” you interject, but Atsumu ignores your jab.

“...And I saw that kid diggin’ through Snape’s potion storage. The hidden one under his desk. He looked at me all scared and quickly left, and I knew he was up to somethin’.”

“He was lucky Snape didn’t catch him,” you comment, and Atsumu nods in agreement, shivering slightly at the thought of Snape’s wrath.

“I checked to see if he took anythin’ and yup, shelf labeled ‘Love Potions’ was missin’ a flask. Then I was tipped off that someone was botherin’ ya in the courtyard, and when I saw it was the same guy that stole the love potion — yeah, fuck that kid.” You stifle a giggle at his annoyed pout, which you find oddly endearing.

“Thanks, I guess.” You sling your bookbag onto your arm, ready to head back to the common room to rest a bit before dinner. “See you around, Miya.”

“Atsumu. Call me Atsumu.” You decide to humor him, not having the patience to listen to him pester you further at the moment.

“Fine, Atsumu then. Thank you.”

“Any time.” A dorky grin spreads across his face as he says this and you resist the urge to mirror it. You turn to leave, but Atsumu stops you by calling out your name.

“What is it?” The rest of your words die in your throat when Atsumu suddenly brushes his thumb across your cheek, completely catching you off-guard. The warm sensation of touch stains your face bright red again.

“Eyelash,” he informs you simply, before affectionately ruffling your hair and striding away casually like nothing had just happened, a new bounce in his step.

You stand there for a few moments, completely dumbfounded.

You want to slap yourself across the face, hard.

You can’t believe that after all those years of hating Atsumu Miya, you had somehow managed to allow him to weasel his way into a special place in your heart that’s always been there.

And it’s just only now that you’re slowly starting to realize it.

-

About two weeks later, it’s the day of the first Quidditch match of the season, a game between Slytherin and Gryffindor.

The Quidditch stands are piled to their entire capacity with cheering students and teachers alike, red and green filling the area with a sea of varying hues.

You’re sitting high up with Kiyoko and Hitoka (the seats fill up so fast that you hadn’t had a chance to get the best spots), all three of you wearing a red and gold Gryffindor scarf and each waving a banner with a moving, roaring lion on it. It had been a tricky charm to perform, but you think it ended up being worth your efforts. You're rather pleased with your enchantment, as the snarling lion pacing back and forth on the banner looks quite decent, if you can say so yourself.

You normally don’t really go to Quidditch games, and on the rare occasion that you do, it’s to support your own house. You’re not the best flier, so you’d never actually played the game yourself. You don’t mind watching the sport, but you also wouldn’t go out of your way to attend matches. It’s only just because you were bored on this Thursday afternoon, having finished your homework early when Kiyoko and Hitoka had invited you down to the Quidditch pitch with them.

You had agreed; it _is_ the first match of the year, after all.

And well, Atsumu would be playing but you hadn’t thought about that. Not at all.

You haven't talked to him since the incident in the courtyard. You hardly see him around at all, lately. Thanks to some eavesdropping, you learn that the Slytherin Quidditch team has a new Seeker, Tobio Kageyama, and a new Chaser, Tsutomu Goshiki, so the team is busy training them. Atsumu, as the Captain, is likely very occupied with training the new Seeker and Chaser, regardless of how talented Kageyama and Goshiki are rumored to be.

You never imagined that you would miss having Atsumu around, but this is probably the longest time you've gone at school without at least passing him by in the halls. Sometimes you glance out the windows and catch glimpses of his green-clad, piss-haired figure flying around the Quidditch pitch, but that's all you see of him. At least you know he's still alive.

Kiyoko and Hitoka are supporting Gryffindor (since they are friends with some of the members of the team), so you decided to join them in making the banners and accepted the Gryffindor scarf that one of Hitoka’s friends, Shouyou Hinata, lent to you. Though maybe a small part of you wanted to cheer Atsumu on, but you’d rather cut off your foot than say that out loud.

The commentators, two Gryffindor seventh years named Yuu Nishinoya and Ryuunosuke Tanaka, start addressing the audience with their enchanted, booming megaphones.

“Hello, folks! What a lovely day for the first Quidditch match of the year! Are you all excited?” Nishinoya receives a thunderous response from the crowd. You resist the temptation to cover your ears; Merlin’s Beard there are definitely reasons why you don’t attend Quidditch games often.

“Alright, let’s get this party started!” Tanaka yells at the top of his lungs, even into the megaphone. “Here come the Gryffindors!” The red-and-gold clad players shoot out onto the field, streaking past the audience at top speed, earning even more deafening cheering from Gryffindor’s supporters.

“We have our Seeker, Kourai Hoshiumi!” Nishinoya announces.

“Next, the Chasers! Chikara Ennoshita, Taketora Yamamoto and Shouyou Hinata!”

“The Beaters! Kentarou Kyoutani and Yuutarou Kindaichi!”

“And last but definitely not least, our Keeper and Captain, Sachirou Hirugami!”

Then the green-robed Slytherins arrive on the pitch. They fly out in formation in a flurry of emerald, zipping by just as fast as the Gryffindors had.

Your gaze immediately zeroes in on their leader. Atsumu wears a cool, concentrated expression, devoid of arrogance and smugness like usual. It’s a very unusual look for him, but you can definitely say that it’s a lot less irritating than his normal demeanor.

Your heart traitorously skips a beat as you watch the wind blow through his blonde hair.

“The Slytherins are here!” Ryuunosuke bellows. “Let’s hear the lineup!”

“Their brand-new Seeker, Tobio Kageyama!”

“The three Chasers, Rintarou Suna, Kiyoomi Sakusa, and hew recruit Tsutomu Goshiki!”

“Don’t forget their Keeper, Taichi Kawanishi!”

“And finally, their very famous Beaters! Osamu Miya and Slytherin’s new Captain, Atsumu Miya!”

Girlish squeals erupt from all around you, and you notice that several girls sitting near you are waving signs with emerald snakes and the words ‘Go Slytherin!’ emblazoned across them. A few girls even have banners with Atsumu and Osamu’s faces on them. The twins are winking playfully and smiling brightly, and there are green and silver hearts scattered all around them. Ah, yes, members of the Miya Twins Fan Club.

You do your best not to gag.

You watch as Banner-Atsumu continues to wink and grin widely. You have to admire the girl’s efforts in charming the banner. Atsumu’s winking induces the same, nervous knot in your stomach that comes from the real deal.

(You really do hate it here.)

“The players take their positions as Madam Hooch steps onto the field to begin the game!” Nishinoya continues.

The gray-haired woman known as Madam Hooch opens the trunk of Quidditch balls, staring sternly up at the players. “You all know the rules. I want a nice, clean game!” Madam Hooch, the referee, warns them. “Captains, shake hands!" Atsumu and Hirugami clasp hands and perform a firm handshake. Despite the gesture, the competitive tension between them seems to radiate outwards to swallow the entire Quidditch pitch. For the two of them, this game will be their first matches as captain. Both have something to prove with victory not only to their own House, but to the entire school. "All players at the ready!" With that, Madam Hooch releases all four balls onto the field.

“The match is officially underway! Ennoshita’s got the Quaffle! He passes to Yamamoto — aww, intercepted by Sakusa!”

“There’s one nasty Bludger going towards Kyoutani, oops, he’s sending it right to Sakusa!”

At the very last split second before the Bludger clobbers Sakusa off of his broom, Atsumu speeds in, using his bat to smack the black ball away from the Chaser.

“Saved by Miya!” Tanaka declares, and Slytherin’s supporters shout in approval.

“Sakusa approaches the goal, will he be able to get past Hirugami? Oh! Hirugami's stopped it!” Gryffindor’s fans cry out in victory.

“Hinata’s got the Quaffle!”

“Wow, he’s a fast flier, isn’t he, Ryuu?”

“Sure is, Yuu! Look at him go!”

Hinata is practically an orange, red, and gold blur as he zooms past his opponents, deftly dodging a Bludger aimed at him by Osamu and successfully evading Rintarou as he tried to steal the Quaffle away. Even you, someone who’s not well-versed in Quidditch at all, have to admire his speed.

“Hinata approaches the goal!” In the blink of an eye, Hinata zips around Kawanishi and throws the Quaffle into the right-most hoop. “And he scores!”

The scoreboard is updated. Gryffindor: 10, Slytherin: 0.

The match continues, and while you are having a good time cheering along with Kiyoko and Hitoka, the constant noise is starting to get to you. The never-ending screaming, cheering, and roaring is making your ears ring.

Still, this is the first time you’re watching a match that doesn’t involve your own house. Even though you’re cheering for Gryffindor, you can’t take your eyes off of a certain blonde Slytherin Beater. You have watched Atsumu play before (maybe your attention always wandered to him in the Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin games, but you won’t let yourself accept that) but something about him seems different.

In previous matches, he was much more aggressive and petty. You’ve heard so much about him and his notoriety as a Quidditch player. He was and is truly one of the most skilled Beaters at the school (second only to Osamu, who is simply more in control of his strength and strategy. The difference between the two of them is small, though Atsumu would still rather die than admit he is second to his brother). Atsumu’s play style was reckless; brilliant, but reckless.

Now, though, you notice a clear change.

He seems much more focused and calculated than before, with careful and precise movements. But this didn’t make Atsumu any less intimidating. In fact, he is now even more of a force to be reckoned with, as Chasers scramble frantically to get out of the way of a perfectly-aimed Bludger,

You’re not sure what caused this change in his play style. Perhaps it’s the responsibility of becoming Captain. He needs to set a good example, after all. Can’t have your Captain being an out-of-control player.

You’ve lost count of how many times Atsumu makes a Gryffindor Chaser lose contact with the Quaffle, or how many times he causes Hirugami to miss a save to dodge a Bludger, or how many times he smacks threatening Bludgers away from his teammates right before they’re hit.

Although you can’t say you know too much about Quidditch, it’s blatantly obvious to anyone, including you, that Atsumu is an amazing athlete.

“Atsumu-san is so cool,” a girl nearby sighs out dreamily as one of Atsumu’s Bludgers sends Ennoshita flying. Ennoshita recovers quickly, but he drops the Quaffle, which is then caught by Goshiki.

Perhaps you agree.

The score is now Gryffindor: 70 and Slytherin: 80.

“What’s that? Kageyama’s chasing after something!” Tanaka shouts.

“Hoshiumi’s in hot pursuit of him, have they found the Snitch?!” Nishinoya cries.

The two Seekers, red and green streaks on the pitch, are neck-and-neck as they chase after the tiny golden shape flitting at breakneck speed right by their noses. You would’ve missed it if Kiyoko didn’t point it out to you.

The volume in the pitch increases astronomically as both Seekers reach out their hands, pushing at each other at an attempt for a better chance to get the Snitch. You literally can’t tell what’s happening, as Hoshiumi and Kageyama are flying so fast and are obscured by clouds in the sky. The entire crowd holds their breath in anticipation. And then —

“He’s got it!” Nishinoya yells triumphantly.

“Hoshiumi’s caught the Snitch!” Tanaka announces excitedly, and the audience goes wild with a mixture of cheers, groans, and hysterical screaming.

“Gryffindor wins the match against Slytherin, 220 to 80!”

“Yes!” Hitoka pumps her fist in the air and hugs Kiyoko tightly. Kiyoko blushes lightly but hugs her back.

The Slytherin supporters near you visibly deflate, and the girls with the Miya twins banners look especially distraught. One girl tightly presses the banner to her heart, violently sobbing.

“No! Atsumu-san and Osamu-san still did great!” a girl from the group cries.

“Rintarou and Kiyoomi scored so many times!” another groans.

“Tsutomu-kun and Tobio-kun did so well in their first game...” yet another comments sadly.

“And Taichi is such a reliable Keeper!” one more bemoans.

“There’s gonna be an afterparty in the Gryffindor common room!” Hitoka tells you brightly, snatching your attention away from the upset girls. “Want to come?”

You think you’ve had enough noise for one day.

“I’ll pass, but thanks for the offer,” you tell her with a small smile. “You two have fun, okay?” You say your goodbyes to Kiyoko and Hitoka, who run off to meet up with their Gryffindor friends Shouyou and Chikara, before exiting the Quidditch pitch.

You’re strolling down a less crowded corridor, planning to stop by the kitchen to ask the house elves for some food (you’ve befriended quite a few of them), but you pause upon hearing a female voice say, “(L/N)-san.”

You turn.

There are four girls, one Slytherin, one Ravenclaw, and two Hufflepuffs. You recognize their faces as the Slytherin supporters; the girls not in Slytherin have taken off the green scarves they were wearing. All wear troubled expressions, and are still tightly clutching their emerald-colored banners.

“You’re (L/N)-san, right?” one of the Hufflepuffs, a girl with black pigtails, asks for confirmation.

“Yes, that’s me. What is it?” you ask with a raise of an eyebrow.

“We’re all fifth years, and we just wanted to ask you some things,” the red-haired Slytherin begins. You shrug nonchalantly then nod, prompting them to continue. You're around ninety percent sure that you already know what's coming.

“Why would Atsumu-san like you?” the other Hufflepuff, a ponytailed blonde blurts, earning a glare from the Slytherin. Ah, so you were right. Something to do with Atsumu.

“Don’t ask so bluntly!” the Slytherin hisses.

“I mean, you don’t even support him. You’re wearing Gryffindor colors!” the brunette Ravenclaw accuses you.

“How did you even get close to Atsumu-san?” the first Hufflepuff presses.

You blink, slightly overwhelmed by the onslaught of questions and accusations.

“I’m not that close to him, we are hardly even friends — “ you start.

“But he won’t date me because of you!” the blonde Hufflepuff wails. You stare blankly at her, not sure how to respond. "I spent hours making him handmade chocolates so I could ask him out and he turned me down without a second thought..."

You grimace. You truly do empathize with the girl, of course. Any rejected love confession must hurt. Though, knowing Atsumu, he would likely make it crystal-clear if he isn’t intending to start a relationship even if he was previously involved with this girl. He isn’t the kind to beat around the bush when it comes to what he wants.

“Same thing happened to me, and the rest of us. And I did a little asking around, and found out he has a thing for you.” The Ravenclaw frowns. “How did you do it?"

“It’s not fair.” The Slytherin grits her teeth. “You never make any efforts for his attention, so why does it have to be on you?" You bite your lip, holding back a big sigh of exasperation.

“I’m sorry this happened to you. Really. But what does this have to do with me? I can't control what he does.”

“Did you give him a love potion, (L/N)-san?” the Ravenclaw inquires quite aggressively. You flinch back a little at the blatant accusation.

“No!” you exclaim. “I... I really don’t know how to help you. I’m sorry — “

“Why would Atsumu-san ever like a Mudblood like you?” the black-haired Hufflepuff squints condescendingly at you. Your face falls. You haven’t been called that word since your early years of school, and mysteriously, your offenders always ended up in the hospital wing the next day. Thus, no one has dared to make fun of your blood status since.

Until now, with these four underclassmen that aren’t showing you a shred of respect.

“Even worse! She’s a Mudblood?!” the Slytherin scoffs. “He would’ve been way better off with any of us. We’re all Pureblood.”

“You’re not convincing anyone of your innocence either.” One Hufflepuff scowls. “I’ve seen the two of you around Hogwarts since my first year. I see the way he’s always around you. And you never seriously push him away. There’s something going on isn’t there?”

“Okay.” You keep your voice level and steady, ignoring her implication of your romantic relationship with Atsumu. “Look, you can go after him. I mean it. I’m sure he’ll come around — “ The Ravenclaw lunges forward and slaps you across the face, catching you by surprise.

“You’ll never understand! You don’t know how lucky you are!” A few tears slip down her face, and you can only stare at the fuming girls in shock and rising anger.

You were trying your very best to keep a cool head but this is the last straw. The fact that these girls are verbally and physically attacking you for _someone else's_ apparent feelings is absolutely ridiculous. These girls need to get out of your sight as soon as possible before you blow a fuse. You just want your fucking treacle tarts.

You start to reach for your wand.

A large hand appears out of nowhere, placing itself over yours and pushing your wand back in the pockets of your robe.

You pause, chills shooting down your spine at the sparks flying through your system at the feeling of his touch (as cliche as it sounds).

“Hey, princess. Lemme take care of these squealin’ pigs, hmm?” You’ve never been so relieved to hear Atsumu MIya’s voice.

“Atsumu-san!” one of the girls whines, clearly offended by the name he chose to call the group.

“The hell do ya think yer doin’? If ya have business with me, come directly to me, dumbass pigs,” Atsumu snaps rather harshly, causes all four to shrink back significantly.

“Why do you like her, Atsumu-san? She’s just a filthy Mudblood.” You’re not sure which girl said that, because you’re too busy watching Atsumu’s face morph into one of the scariest expressions you’ve ever seen on a person.

His eyebrows are furrowed in a deadly arch, eyes narrowed like a predator about to pounce on prey that’s been running away for too long, and the way his lip curls into a cruel snarl is well, in short, absolutely terrifying.

Even though his anger isn’t directed at you, you feel yourself tremble.

“What — ” He takes a few steps towards the group. who quickly staggers back. “ — didja just call her?”

“Aren’t you a pureblood too?” one questions, confused. “The Miya family is even one of the most well-respected pureblood families!”

“Yeah, but my family thinks that’s all washed-up, supremacist shit.” Atsumu snorts. “Our line hasn’t been completely pure for decades. We don’t care about useless stigmas like that.”

“You don’t care that she’s a Mudblood?” They sound incredulous; scandalized. even.

“Stop callin' her that. And no. I frankly do not give a fuck, 'cause I was raised right, unlike you lot,” he replies crossly.

The four girls are stunned at his response, and so are you. You guess it makes sense that Atsumu was raised to not care about blood purity, because all throughout the seven years you’ve known him, you can’t recall a single moment when he made fun of your blood status.

“I-It’s just unfair, you know? She doesn’t even like you back!” someone pipes up. At this, Atsumu sighs, still angry but slightly... sad?

“Doncha think I know that better than anyone else?”

Your heart plummets at the wistful, sorrowful note in his voice.

You never realized how much this stupid boy that’s been plaguing your Hogwarts experience since day one actually means to you. Sure, he’s the bane of your existence in a lot of ways, but he’s always just... been there. And yes, he’s annoying. Yes, he’s infuriating. Yes, he makes you want to murder him sometimes. But he never meant any real harm. Never meant to make you cry. Never meant to go too far. And he never did, he never truly hurt you, as much of an irritating asshole he is.

“Like I said, if ya have somethin’ to discuss with me, say so. Don’t fuckin’ gang up on (L/N) for no reason. Out of my sight.” He waves his hand carelessly, and you watch in a bit of amazement as the girls immediately scatter.

He then instantly looks down at you, concerned at the sight of the reddening handprint on your cheek.

“M'so sorry.” Atsumu’s bottom lip juts out into a worried pout as he leans down to inspect the mark on your face. “Are ya... are ya okay?”

“I’m fine.” You are. A bit shaken by the offensive remarks thrown towards you and the physical violence, but fine, nonetheless. You just need a few minutes to get yourself together and you’ll be completely okay.

“S'my fault. They were upset at me, and took it out on ya. Thank Merlin I was walkin’ down here ta grab a snack from the kitchen — “

“They like you a lot,” you cut him off. "They just want to be close to you. I guess it’s normal to be jealous, and I bet it hurt when they got rejected by you."

“But they were thinkin’ that harassin’ the girl I like would get my attention?” Your heart suddenly leaps with joy at the spoken reminder that he apparently has a thing for you. But you keep your composure. “Sure, they got my attention alright. Was ready to hex those pigs into next week.”

“Yes, it was dumb, and completely unnecessary, but they’re just — “

“They’re fuckin’ psychos. Don't be so nice to them, princess. They wanted to hurt you,” he spits venomously. “I shoulda hexed them or somethin’ but I can't afford ta get detention 'cause of Quidditch — "

“Miya, don’t worry. Drop it. It’s okay. They’re in love, and well, I imagine if you’re in love then it must hurt to not be loved back.” Sure, the more primal part of you also wants to hex them; you almost did. But you know at the end of the day they’re just harmless school girls head over heels for a guy that’s unattainable. Atsumu scoffs at your words.

“Don’t I know it,” he repeats, a rather faraway look in his eyes.

You’re suddenly aware of how empty and quiet the corridor is.

“You... You played great, today,” you decide to say for some reason. Atsumu continues to frown.

“Ya watched?” he asks, before his chocolate eyes trail down to see the red and gold scarf still hanging around your neck and the roaring lion banner in your hands. His mouth presses into a thin line. “And rooted for Gryffindor.” You swallow, suddenly feeling guilty even though you know you didn’t do anything wrong.

“I — my friends were supporting Gryffindor, so I just joined in,” you ramble, trying to justify yourself for some odd reason.

“Nah. Ya wouldn’t wanna cheer on some losers anyway, huh?” He can’t meet your gaze, which honestly concerns you. Usually you’re the one who can’t look him in the eye. But Atsumu’s head is hanging low. You vaguely remember Osamu’s complaining about how much of a sore loser Atsumu is, how he always beats himself up and blames himself for losses.

And to lose the first Quidditch match of the season, as Captain no less — you can’t imagine what he’s probably feeling right now.

“Atsumu.” You clear your throat, not used to using his first name. “You were amazing. You know I wouldn’t just compliment you because I felt like it.”

A ghost of a smile flits across his lips.

“I’m just — I’m so pathetic, y’know?” He buries his face in his hands. “I let everyone down. Shoulda aimed better at Hoshiumi at the end, maybe coulda knocked him away so Tobio woulda gotten the Snitch.”

“You’re not pathetic.” You don’t know what or who possesses you to do so, but you find yourself reaching up to carefully grasp Atsumu’s wrists, slowly pulling them away from his face.

The completely flabbergasted look he gives you upon receiving your touch would’ve been humorous in any other circumstance.

“There’s good reasons why so many people look up you, why you got chosen to be Captain, and why you’re considered one of the best Quidditch players in the history of the school. Again, you know I wouldn’t say these things if I didn’t mean them.” You find it weird that you’re comforting someone who you considered to be in a pain in your ass for the past seven years, but you find it even weirder that you genuinely feel the need to reassure and support him.

“Ya think so?” You’re still holding his wrists, but his chocolate irises are now boring directly into yours.

“I know so,” you say with absolute certainty. “And if you ever doubt yourself again, I’ll hex you.” He cracks a tiny grin.

“That’s my girl.” Atsumu releases his wrists from your grasp to bring you into a tight hug. You, not expecting the sudden act of affection, gasp in surprise as your face gets smushed against his muscular chest. But you don’t struggle or try to break free. His embrace doesn’t feel strange or uncomfortable.

Oddly, it feels like... home.

You don't even bother correcting him with the reminder that you aren't his girl.

After a few moments of hesitation, you wrap your thinner arms around his torso in return.

You swear you feel a few tears drip onto the top of your head, but when you try to look up at him he holds you tighter.

It’s at this moment that you silently admit to yourself that yes, you care about the irritating, bratty, arrogant nuisance that is Atsumu Miya.

You spend a while in silence, just hugging each other, in the quietness of the empty corridor.

He's warm, although you should've expected as much. His tall, large frame is pretty much a walking space heater. You find yourself leaning further into his arms, pressing yourself ever closer. Atsumu smells of his usual woodsy cologne, but with a hint of sweat and grass, likely from the Quidditch pitch. You're not repulsed by the scent; rather, you find it quite comforting.

You feel Atsumu shift slightly as his head dips down towards you, and you let out a small squeak of surprise at the sensation of his lips grazing against your forehead. You instinctively cling onto him even more, and the rumble of his chest as he chuckles affectionately at your reaction shouldn't be as attractive as it is.

Merlin's Beard, you are so screwed.

"I have somethin' ta tell ya, (Y/N)," he murmurs into your hair. "I —"

“Master Miya! Mistress (L/N)!” The two of you jump apart at the sound of the kitchen door, which is at the end of the corridor, suddenly bursting open, revealing the kind, head cook house elf known as Molky.

Molky stares at you and Atsumu.

You and Atsumu stare at Molky.

You vaguely recall Atsumu mentioning how he came down this corridor to go to the kitchen, so he ought to come here often and visit the house elves as well.

In fact, you’re pretty sure you brushed past him a few times near here with him yelling insults at you over his shoulder.

A slow, but wide smile spreads across Molky’s face.

“Are Master Miya and Mistress (L/N) in love?” The old house elf’s big green eyes sparkle in joy. “Molky is so proud!”

Both you and Atsumu turn firetruck red.

“Come in, come in! Mistress (L/N), we have some treacle tarts for you! They’re your favorite, aren’t they? And for you, Master Miya, steak pie!” Before either you or Atsumu could move a muscle, Molky ushers the two of you inside.

“Hello, Master Miya! Mistress (L/N)!” the busy house elves chorus as you enter.

You and Atsumu greet them in return in a rather flustered manner, still embarrassed upon getting caught by Molky.

“My, my!” one of the sweetest elves, Topsey, giggles. “Master Miya and Mistress (L/N) stop by so often, but never together!”

“We heard your constant bickering!” another elf, Lonpey, informs you with a huge smile. “House elves have good hearing, you see. We thought Master Miya and Mistress (L/N) did not like each other!”

“Turns out, us house elves were wrong...” Polky the house elf sulks as he hands over a galleon to Lonpey.

“Ya had a bet on us?” Atsumu’s mouth is open in shock.

“Ever since the first time we heard you two arguing, Master Miya!” Lonpey says cheerfully.

“Ahh, young love,” Bosky, the house elf who makes the best soup, sighs from her spot by the stove, where she is busy stirring something in a pot.

You and Atsumu spend a few more moments in shocked silence, even as the house elves begin bringing the two of you your favorite foods, chattering and laughing animatedly. The two of you sit down on the clean kitchen floor, accepting the plates of food from the elves.

“I never took you for someone who cared for house elves,” you comment, taking a small bite of your treacle tart, which is delicious as always.

"'Samu and I grew up with two. They were our best friends.”

“’Were’?”

“Dad and Mum set them free before we came to school this year, since we're grown up now and no longer need them to take care of us.”

“Hmm.” You nod sympathetically, not knowing how you would feel if you had a house elf friend and caretaker who got released after you became of age. House elves truly are kindhearted and loyal creatures. You absolutely adore spending time with them; they're so genuine and caring. You could easily imagine yourself becoming best friends with one of them like Atsumu and Osamu had, especially over the course of seventeen years.

“’s funny, isn’t it?” Atsumu pushes a large forkful of steak pie into his mouth.

“What is?”

“How much people assume about me.” He pauses. “They think I care about blood purity, look down on house elves... I guess there’s not many good stereotypes that come with being a pureblood Slytherin.”

“Master Miya is kind!” Bosky pipes up. “He asked Professor Dumbledore to raise our pay!”

“And of course, Dumbledore listened!” Polky cheers, and the rest of the house elves join in.

“I’m sorry.” You feel a bit guilty for your previous assumption. “I just...”

“Nah. Don’t apologize. There are plenty of things that aren’t so nice about me, as ’m sure ya know. ’m definitely no saint.”

This is strange. A normal, proper conversation with Atsumu. No bickering, no jabbing, no teasing. Just two people talking. Perhaps, two friends talking.

“I can leave ya alone, y’know.” You freeze at his words. Did you want him to leave you alone? Maybe before, you had the thought. But even you have to admit that you never truly meant it. You want him around, and that's the hard truth.

“I — “ Your protest never finishes leaving your tongue as Atsumu suddenly smirks.

“But I won’t.”

You should’ve known.

“Miya!” you scoff out, pushing his face, which somehow ended up way too close to yours, away from you.

“What?” He laughs obnoxiously. “What did I do this time?”

You unconsciously puff out your cheeks angrily, which only makes him laugh louder at how much you resemble an agitated chipmunk.

“What’s wrong, ya troll?” he teases. “What’s got yer panties in a twist?”

Instead of annoying you, his offensive nickname brings a sense of relief. This is the Atsumu you know. The playful, blunt, and infuriating boy that you’ve known for so many years. You don’t mind seeing his more gentle and sensitive side, but you couldn’t help but find yourself missing this part of him.

Atsumu, on the other hand, quickly shuts his mouth. staring down at the floor. “Ah, sorry, that just came out. I didn’t mean ta say that.” But you’re laughing, now, too.

“No,” you say through a fit of amused giggles. “It’s fine. It was weird seeing you be all sappy and not poke fun at me for the past weeks.”

“(L/N), is that permission for me to call ya a troll?” Atsumu jokes.

“Yes. Call me a troll whenever you want.” There’s a small silence before the two of you burst out into laughter.

The house elves are watching you and Atsumu in complete confusion.

“Why would Mistress (L/N) tell Master Miya to call her a troll?” Topsey whispers to Lonpey, who shrugs, just as perplexed.

“You’re not so big and bad, like you told me, huh?” you say, continuing to dig into your treacle tart. “All talk and no bite?”

“Guess m'not.” He raises an eyebrow, still grinning smugly. “But I’ve been told that m'big in another very important way.”

The joke flies right over your head, but some of the house elves gasp, scandalized..

“Whatever.” You happily finish off the rest of your treacle tart, oblivious to the lovesick way that Atsumu is watching you, his plate of steak pie sitting forgotten in his lap.

“So, um, would ya... would ya maybe wanna go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?” He coughs, clearing his throat awkwardly, his face burning. “I mean — uh — just 'cause I wanna buy some sweets from Honeydukes. If that’s okay with ya.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” You look up at him, stifling a chuckle at the absolutely mortified expression on his face. It seems like he’s about to combust.

“W-What if I am?!” Atsumu huffs, aggressively shoving a piece of steak pie into his mouth.

“Pfft.” You can’t hold back your laugh, and Atsumu looks at you like a kicked puppy. “Don’t look so upset, jeez, Miya. Yes. I’ll go with you.”

“Cool.” On the outside, he seems nonchalant and collected. After all, why wouldn’t he be? He’s gone on dates with girls before. But this is you. This is you. You. Him. Date.

He's wanted this for so long and he can't believe it's finally happening.

Atsumu is singing joyously like a frolicking Disney princess in his head.

-

“God, where the hell is he?” Osamu grumbles. “That shithead has been in the kitchen for a good two hours now. Does he really need to eat that fuckin’ much?”

“You’re one to talk,” Rintarou snorts. “Usually you’d join him. And eat more than him.”

“Yeah, well, just didn’t feel like it today.” Osamu crosses his arms over his chest, sinking deeper into couch in the Slytherin common room he is seated on.

“The two of you are always such sore losers,” says Rintarou with a roll of his eyes.

“Naw! He is! Not me!” Osamu whines, suddenly springing up from the couch. “Look, it was just so close, Tobio was almost there — “

“Sit down, ding dong.” Rintarou pushes him back down, and Osamu pouts angrily. “It was just the first game. We have plenty of time to get back at them later.” Osamu nods, sighing.

“Yeah. Yer right.”

“Let’s go find Atsumu. Funny how he calls everyone else ‘pig’, but he spends two hours in the kitchen eating...”

The two boys stroll down the corridors towards the moving staircase leading to the kitchens, Osamu still muttering complaints under his breath. Rintarou gives into the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes to the heavens.

Right when they are about to round the corner to the kitchen, the double doors burst open. And out strolls Atsumu... holding hands with you.

Rintarou and Osamu freeze, not expecting to see this.

The two of you. Holding hands.

Talking. Not bickering.

Laughing together. Not laughing at each other.

The sight is so surreal, the two Slytherin boys’ eyes grow to match the circumference of dinner plates.

Thankfully, you and Atsumu walk in the opposite direction, not seeing Rintarou and Osamu watching you with open mouths and wide eyes.

“Well.” Rintarou recovers first. “Can’t say I didn’t see that coming.”

“For real, all that lovey sexual tension between them was really startin’ ta get to me,” Osamu grumbles. “That took years.”

“Guess Atsumu finally manned up to say something.” Rintarou sounds rather proud. “About time.”

“About time, huh?” Osamu muses, his tone suddenly changing to playful and... slightly suggestive? Rintarou doesn’t notice Osamu inching closer until they are only just a few centimeters apart. Rintarou’s heart flips upside down in his chest as he takes in Osamu’s smirking face way too close to his.

It’s a scenario that he’s only seen in his dreams.

Rintarou has been friends with Osamu since they were elementary-aged children, and has harbored feelings for him since their third year at Hogwarts. However, both of them never toed, let alone crossed, the line between friendship and romance.

But now, as Osamu backs him into the wall of the corridor, an odd, predatory glint in his eye, Rintarou can't find it in him to push Osamu away.

Maybe it's because he's been wanting this all along.

“Hey... what are you d-doing?” Rintarou’s voice shakes a little. Osamu cocks his head.

“Can’t let fuckin’ ‘Tsumu one-up me.”

When Osamu and Rintarou walk into the Slytherin common room later that day, hand-in-hand with marks littering their necks, Atsumu’s soul literally leaves his body as he girlishly screams bloody-murder in utter shock.

-

NEXT PART WILL BE THE LAST PART! oh my fucking god this is so long i am SO SORRY IF IT WAS BORING................................ this is an absolute monster i have no idea what just happened or how my fingers handled this

PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK THANK UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS SO DAMN LONG warning it contains a lot of flashbacks/memories to kind of better explain this dynamic between the two mains bc FAWKK i reread the first chapter AND IT SEEMS SO RUSHED??? I REALLY HOPE THAT THIS WILL SHOW YOU GUYS THAT THEIR ROMANCE DIDNT JUST COME OUT OF NOWHERE BECAUSE THATS DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE and it's mostly written in 'tsumu's pov since this entire time we've been mostly looking from reader's perspective which is obviously biased! I HOPE YOU ENJOY AND THAT IT'S NOT BORING GODDDD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i suggest that you re-read the first (and maybe second) chapter because i've added around 2.3k words to chapter one because i just /felt like it/ LMAO the plot hasn't changed that much but you get a little more build-up leading into the story's "atsumu fucking miya. where should you even begin?" haha so i suggest you re-read. as for ch 2, nothing much has changed but i added around 100 words of fluff to the kitchen corridor scene and the little osasuna crumb at the end. no major plot changes but go ahead and read if u want! and yes as u can see i have at least one more chapter planned for this fic bc i got carried away writing this one so there's no way i can end it here and im too lazy to edit parts out so my rambling ass has made it so that there will be one more chapter! ok anyway as always, please leave feedback because i'd love to hear anything and everything you have to say! thank you and enjoy this monster of a chapter (fuck how did it end up over 13k words i have no clue) i hope it's not boring

Atsumu still thinks he’s living in a dream.

Finally, after seven years of hopelessly pining over a girl who hated him (he has to admit that he is the only one to blame for that), he’s finally on your (kind of?) good side. Atsumu had honestly thought that he’d never get this far, despite the fact that the state of your relationship is still so, so far from what he wants it be. But, he supposes he can work on that over time (if you’d give him the chance to, of course).

At dinner, he is in a complete daze. Thrice he nearly face-planted into his mashed potatoes while he was far-off in a daydream in which he is snogging you in a broom closet. Atsumu was interrupted all three times by his brother roughly yanking him back before he fell, which he would be grateful for if Osamu didn’t almost pull out every hair on his head each round.

“Get yerself together, ya dumbass idiot. Ya have it so fuckin’ bad. It’s embarrassing.” Osamu gripes after the third time, but Atsumu barely responds to his comment. He’s too busy craning his neck in the direction of the Ravenclaw table, trying to catch a glimpse of you. (He’s not obsessed, he swears.)

He spots you among the crowds of Ravenclaws, but you’re completely surrounded by your friends as per usual. When he angles his head just right to see you clearly, you’re as radiant as ever. You’re happily eating even more treacle tart with that cute little grin and delighted dust of pink on your cheeks that appears when you eat your favorite treat (yes, as shameful as is to admit, Atsumu had picked up on several of your habits while observing you from afar for so long).

Just then, your (E/C) eyes tear their gaze away from your treacle tart. You almost end up making eye contact with him, but Atsumu ducks his head in embarrassment of being caught, instead shoveling such a large forkful of roast chicken in his mouth that he almost chokes. As Atsumu starts coughing up a storm, Osamu, finding this whole ordeal very entertaining, doesn’t even bother to offer a half-hearted pat to his hacking brother’s back. Even more mortifying is how Atsumu notices a slight twitch of your mouth as you avert your eyes from his table, as if you’re trying hard not to laugh.

He almost misses those days when you thought he hated you, and he thought you hated him. Now you know of his feelings towards you, which ended up making the whole experience all that more nerve-wracking. At least back then, Atsumu wouldn’t worry as much about what you thought of him. But he knows that’s stupid of him to think about. He finally might have a chance to win you over for real after all this time; he’d be foolish to let that all go now.

Atsumu mentally cringes at his many failed attempts at courting you over the years.

Clearly, he has some kind of ability to charm women, what with all the girls following him around, but with you, he would always turn into some kind of babbling mess when he tried to be serious for once. Atsumu had made a fool of himself way too many times in his shitty efforts of trying to properly express affection. Everything, from insulting you after mumbling a compliment, to sprinting away when seeing you round a corridor with a confession left unsaid on his tongue.

Merlin’s Beard, he wishes he can erase those moments from history.

He’s surprised you even bother to give him the time of day at all after all those years of bullshit.

Atsumu notices when you excuse yourself from the table, and before he can stop himself, he’s already risen from his seat to hurry across the hall in an attempt to follow you. He misses how his brother and Rintarou are whispering to each other with smug smiles on their faces as they watch him go. Thankfully, as dinner is nearly over, other students are also starting to file out of the hall, so he doesn’t seem all that suspicious.

You peek over your shoulder curiously as you notice someone’s footsteps falling in tandem with yours right behind you. You raise an eyebrow when you see a flushed Atsumu.

“Hey,” you greet simply.

“Hey,” he responds, a little out-of-breath, but not from chasing you. He’s an athlete; a little sprint wouldn’t make him tired in the slightest. It is more so how your mere presence is making his stomach tie into knots and his breath escape his lungs. Atsumu can feel himself turn even redder. This behavior is honestly so unlike him that he can’t even begin to fathom why he is so flustered for no reason, especially since the two of you had made so much progress in your relationship within the past few months. Not only that, _he_ is the one meant to make you flustered, not the other damn way around!

Somehow, the time spent with you bonding over food in the Hogwarts kitchen seems far more intimate than any other experience he’s ever shared with a female.

Now he’s standing here in the corridor stuttering like a shy school boy at the memories of sitting with you on the tiled kitchen floor, not even doing anything remotely considered intimate, but just talking with you.

Thankfully, you don’t seem to be all that much affected by his strange behavior, calmly tucking a piece of hair behind your ear and looking up at him, poorly-disguised amusement dancing in your eyes. “I’m off to the Owlery to give Kou some owl treats.” You pause. “You can join me, if you want.”

“Sure.” Atsumu’s voice trembles just the tiniest bit, and he prays you didn’t notice.

“Do you want some treats for your owl, too? I’ve got plenty to share.” You dig up a few boxes of treats from the pocket of your robes. The inviting smile on your face is so effortlessly adorable that Atsumu has to physically resist the urge to blush. He really does have it bad, doesn’t he?

“No thanks, ‘Samu sent Inari out today and she won’t be back yet,” Atsumu explains, and you nod in understanding. He follows you up to the West Tower’s Owlery, which thankfully isn’t too long of a way from the Great Hall, as he doesn’t know how long he could take the silence that befalls the pair of you as you stride down the corridors.

You swing open the Owlery’s door with an eager smile on your face. Atsumu vaguely recalls your friends always questioning why you spend so much time in the Owlery. He has also noticed that you visit your great-horned brute of a bird quite often (he is most definitely not a stalker; it’s a simple observation!). He briefly remembers overhearing you tell your friend that you go up to the West Tower not only to send many letters home to your worried Muggle parents, but also to give lots of your treats to your owl.

And Atsumu can tell that you feed your bird well, because the gray feather ball you call your pet is incredibly plump. It looks more like a fattened, discolored chicken raised for slaughter than an owl. But Atsumu keeps his mouth shut; if he wants to win you over, he can’t insult your owl.

“There you are, Kou baby.” You coo adoringly as you unlock the cage that holds your Great Horned owl, Kou, who snuggles up affectionately against your cheek. You gentle pet the bird’s feathers and fish a package of Eeylops Premium Owl Treats from your pocket, offering a few pellets to Kou, who greedily gobbles the treats up. Kou squawks in delight, playfully nibbling at your hair, and you laugh joyously, happily stroking your owl’s head.

The other owls seem rather envious as they observe the scene with their big, yellow eyes.

Atsumu also feels a slight twinge of jealousy at your unabashed display of love for your owl Kou.

That stupid gray bird has no idea how lucky it is. What Atsumu would do to have you pet his hair like that…

But no, currently your loving attention just has to be solely focused on your dear owl.

And this dear owl, come to think of it…

“Kou, no!” Before you or Atsumu could say or do anything, Kou launches himself out of your arms with a mighty squawk onto Atsumu’s head, clawing at his blonde hair.

“What the hell,” Atsumu spits out through a flurry of feathers. “Goddammit, (L/N), get your bloody bird off of me — “

…absolutely hates Atsumu’s guts.

The owl continues to hoot and squawk in Atsumu’s face, all while turning Atsumu’s hair into a disheveled mess and occasionally pecking his scalp to elicit pained yelps from the boy.

You start to laugh, much to Atsumu’s dismay, and Kou seems to be delighted at your reaction, hooting even more loudly.

Atsumu resists the strong urge to hex your dumb chicken of an owl.

“Kou,” you scold in a much less forceful manner than Atsumu would’ve preferred. “Come here. Off.” Kou, giving one last aggressive and painful peck to Atsumu’s forehead before begrudgingly taking flight only to land on your left shoulder, still glaring hatefully at him.

Atsumu glares right back.

“What was that, ya fuckin’ dishrag?” Atsumu spits distastefully. “Yer lucky that ya belong to (L/N), or I woulda transfigured ya into a washcloth.” Kou twitters angrily, flapping his wings agitatedly.

“Don’t be mean to Kou!” You immediately defend your pet. “You were just trying to protect me, weren’t you, baby?” Your voice drops to a soft and loving croon as you gently stroke your owl’s beak. “You wanted that big mean guy over there to stay away, didn’t you?” Kou chirps in agreement, twirling his head right and left.

“Hey!” Atsumu exclaims, offended, but you ignore him, still baby-talking to your owl.

“Don’t pick a fight with my baby boy.” You narrow your eyes at Atsumu. “I can understand why he doesn’t like you, considering the way he’s seen you treat me for seven years.”

Right. Every year at King’s Cross Station, Atsumu shouts insults at you as you pass by. You always have your owl cage on your trolley, with Kou watching Atsumu with his giant, golden eyes. When you had seated yourself in the same compartment as the twins and Rintarou on your first ride to Hogwarts, Kou had been there to witness the start of the rivalry between the two of you. All those times when you had happened to run into him on your way out or in the Owlery, Kou had seen Atsumu’s treatment of you as well. In fact, Atsumu even tried to provoke Kou once just for the hell of it, earning a deep, well-deserved cut on his pointer finger.

“Well…” Atsumu’s protests die on his tongue, and he suddenly feels so, so small underneath the withering gaze of Kou.

“It’s okay, Kou, big meanie Miya has changed. Well, kind of,” you explain to your owl, but Kou remains skeptical-looking. “He’s still rude sometimes, but — “

“(Y/N)!” Atsumu whines out your name childishly. When you throw your head back to laugh, you miss when Kou snaps his beak threateningly at Atsumu for using your given name.

“I’m alright, Kou, really.” Despite your words, Kou is still eyeing Atsumu suspiciously.

“If I ever do anythin’ to make (Y/N) cry, I give you full permission to peck my eyes out,” Atsumu tells Kou in a dead-serious manner.

“Oh?” You raise an eyebrow, and Kou mirrors your curious expression with a tilt of his gray, feathered head.

“I’ll take care of her, Kou.” Atsumu is now having a staring contest with your great-horned owl, chocolate irises locked with gold. You hold back laughter at how intensely the two of them are drilling their gazes into each other.

“Now now, Miya. Don’t get it twisted, I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” You feed Kou another few treats, but he doesn’t break eye contact with Atsumu even as he swallows his food.

“I promise,” Atsumu says solemnly to your bird, completely ignoring you. “I can’t say that I have many excuses for the way I acted before, but I’ll do my best to make it up to her.”

Kou simply blinks his large, yellow eyes, hooting softly.

“Please believe me. I won’t ever let her — or you — down.”

Your cheeks turn slightly pink and you hold back a chuckle at how very earnest the famous Atsumu Miya sounds as he talks to your owl. Never in your seventeen years of life so far did you ever think that your greatest pain in the ass would try to win your owl’s favor. Due to how well you (unfortunately) know Atsumu’s stubborn personality, you know there’s no convincing him to stop talking to Kou until he gains ‘approval’.

“Here.” You hand Atsumu the box of owl treats. “Try giving him one. He doesn’t accept treats from anyone except me. If he takes one from you… it means he trusts you.”

“What if he bites my fingers off?” There’s a slight note of fear in Atsumu’s voice as he clutches the small package in his hands, eyeing Kou nervously.

“Well, I’m sure that’s a possibility. Good luck.” You smile innocently.

“Gee, thanks,” Atsumu scoffs sarcastically, reaching into the box to retrieve a few pellets. He lays them flat on his palm before holding them out to Kou. “Pleasetakethem,” he whispers quietly as a quick prayer.

Kou considers the little brown pellets resting in Atsumu’s outstretched hand. He snaps his beak a few times, and Atsumu visibly gulps, Adam’s apple bobbing in anticipation. Kou leans his mighty gray head down towards Atsumu’s palm, his golden eyes glancing up to lock eyes with Atsumu once again.

Atsumu swears that he feels a few beads of sweat drip down his neck.

Merlin’s Beard, why is he letting this fat dishrag of an owl intimidate him so much?

Maybe it’s because you’re observing the scene with an amused smile painted on your pretty lips, clearly entertained by the odd tension between your owl and your… sort-of-not-really-almost-lover-who-used-to-be-your-sort-of-enemy?

Then Kou strikes.

His sharp beak snaps up a treat from Atsumu’s palm in the blink of an eye.

Atsumu’s mouth falls open in shock as Kou devours the rest of the pellets in his hand with vigor. He winces out of habit when Kou’s beak draws a little too close to his skin a few times, but the bird doesn’t make any move to hurt him. Wide-eyed, Atsumu’s gaze trails to you, wanting to gauge your reaction, and you’re still smiling, except now with slight pride in your expression.

“Congratulations,” you muse. “Kou doesn’t hate you very much anymore.” As if to enunciate your statement, Kou settles back onto your shoulder calmly (after having finished the pellets Atsumu had offered) and gives Atsumu a reluctant nod of his large, feathery head.

“Good.” Atsumu lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, relief and satisfaction washing over him like a tidal wave. He knows it was silly to want approval from your owl, but he can’t help but feel elated that he received it.

“Kou’ll remember the deal you made with him, so you better not make me cry.” You laugh quietly and Atsumu finally lets a smile slip onto his face.

“I won’t,” he says softly, and you make a non-committal noise, telling him that he needs to show you, not just tell you. You place Kou back into his cage, but not before pressing a kiss to the top of his feathered head. Once again, Atsumu feels a white, hot burst of jealousy shoot through his system, and he resists the urge to scowl at Kou, who still seems to be taunting him with a smug, owl-ish smirk.

“It’s almost time for curfew, let’s get back to the dorms before Filch or Mrs. Norris have to say anything about us.” You cast a anxious glance at the clock on the wall of the Owlery.

“Whatcha always so worried for, (L/N)?” Atsumu chuckles a bit at the incredibly concerned expression on your face as you hurry out of the Owlery, with him hot on your heels. “Haven’t ya ever been out of the dormitories after curfew?”

“No.” You frown. “What reason would I have to be?”

“Yer so borin’.”

“Am not.” You purse your lips. “What’s there to do at this time of night, anyway? It’s so dark…”

“Yer scared of the dark?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Yer scaaaared.” A wide grin spreads across Atsumu’s face as your cheeks flush.

“I wish Kou clawed all your stupid piss-colored hair out,” you snap, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Aww, princess, that’s so mean.”

“Cry me a river.”

“Will do.” Atsumu’s still smiling ear-to-ear, because damn; having a bantering conversation with you like this is always so… natural? Perhaps it’s because it was pretty much the only way he communicated with you over the past seven years, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. And he can tell you’re amused by the interaction as well by the upward quirk of your lips.

“So what, isn’t it normal to be scared of the dark?” You bite your lip nervously upon realizing how dark and lonely the corridors are right now, and you take out your wand. “Lumos.” The tip of your wand lights up with a warm, white glow, acting as a flashlight.

“Sounds to me like yer just a coward.” Atsumu yawns. “’Samu, RinRin, and I sneak out all the time, anyway.”

“To do what, exactly?”

“Sometimes we go down to the Quidditch pitch and throw a Quaffle around. If there’s a big game comin’ up, we might practice with some Bludgers too.”

“And you never get caught?”

“Didn’t say that.” He grins. “I’ve spent way too much time in detention for playin’ Quidditch after curfew.”

“Dummy. Why take the risk?”

“’Cause I love Quidditch.” That’s such an Atsumu answer; straight and to-the-point. “Plus, I don’t have to worry too much about the consequences, anyway. As much as I piss off old Snape, he would never let me miss a game ‘cause he knows how good I am.”

“That’s all you do, though? Play Quidditch? I was expecting something a little more exciting,” you tease, and instead of getting offended, Atsumu’s eyes glitter.

“Ever been to the Forbidden Forest?”

“It’s _forbidden_ for a reason, Miya,” you say pointedly.

“Shame. Lots of things to see in there. All the interestin’ creatures come out at night.”

“Won’t they harm you?”

“Nah.” He smirks. “Lemme show ya somethin’.” One moment, he’s there, standing in the shadows of the corridor right next you. The next split second, he’s gone.

You blink in confusion; where the hell did he go? He was right there! He can’t Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, so there’s no way he could’ve just disappeared into thin air —

A low growl echoes through the corridor, coming from by your knees. You jump, quickly darting your gaze downwards. You hold back a scream upon seeing a large, black fox with dark brown eyes staring up at you expectantly.

“M-Miya?” you stammer. “You’re an Animagus?” The fox (or, well, Atsumu) simply purrs, rubbing his velvety nose against your thigh. Then, with another blink of an eye, Atsumu’s standing in front of you again, a smug smile forming on his face at the shocked, but impressed look on your face.

“’Samu, RinRin, and I — we’re all Animagi,” he tells you, swelling with pride as you seem quite impressed. Becoming an Animagus is no matter of simple magic. “Creatures in there are less likely to attack us in those forms than if we walked in there lookin’ like humans.”

“What have you seen in there?” Now you’re curious.

“Oh, lots of things. Giant spiders. Centaurs. Unicorns.”

“Unicorns?” You grip the wand in your hand a little tighter.

“Yeah, unicorns. I’ll take you to see them sometime.” He tilts his head. “That is, if yer not _scared of the dark,_ princess _._ ”

“I’m not,” you insist, but you don’t put out the light still emanating from the tip of your wand.

“Righttttt.” Atsumu definitely doesn’t believe you. The two of you stop at the end of the corridor, where you’re supposed to go your separate ways to your dormitories. “Ya still plannin’ on goin’ to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?”

“Of course. I need to ask Madam Rosmerta if I could buy a bottle of mead to send home to my parents, anyway. They enjoy their alcohol.” You smile up at Atsumu. “Can’t believe I’m saying this to you, but I like spending time with you, Miya.”

“Y-Ya do?” Before he can stop himself, he feels his entire face light up with a huge grin. And when you laugh, such a clear, sweet and genuine sound, Atsumu’s chest constricts painfully with fondness and his chocolate eyes become even more half-lidded as he stares at you with all of the affection he can muster up from throughout his entire being.

“I do.” You end up unintentionally leaving Atsumu in a state of dazedness as you turn in the other direction, throwing a “Goodnight!” over your shoulder before you saunter down the corridor.

Atsumu doesn’t know how long he stands there like a complete, blithering idiot, staring at the corner at which you disappeared around what felt like an eternity ago. But then Mrs. Norris comes meowing towards him, and he curses loudly before sprinting in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room.

-

That night, Atsumu lays awake in bed, eyes on the ceiling, mind mulling over the events that had happened during the day. He had returned to the Slytherin dungeons with a huge, embarrassing grin on his face after successfully evading Mrs. Norris, as all he could think about was the time he spent with you. Several of his housemates began to press him about his sudden good mood, but he had decided not to humor them, uninterested in allowing others to butt into his personal affairs.

He is going on a date with you tomorrow.

He can hardly believe the reality of the situation. If only his eleven-year old self, so foolishly trying to simultaneously impress and irritate you by poking fun at you every chance he got, could see him now. Atsumu almost groans out-loud at the mere thought of his stupidity throughout the past seven years. If he had treated you like a normal human being and shown genuine interest in you, perhaps this would have turned out in his favor much faster.

Then again, there is the case of Osamu Miya.

Osamu, his dumbass of a twin (who is just as much of a shithead as he is, contrary to popular belief), had been in love with Rintarou Suna, their childhood friend, for years. Osamu and Rintarou had always been closer than Atsumu was to Rintarou, but he didn’t mind, especially when they got older and Atsumu got to watch Osamu become increasingly awkward around Rintarou thanks to his crush. And despite spending every waking moment together, what with living next door to each other, attending the same school, being in the same House, hell, even living in the same damn dormitory, it looked like Osamu was never going to act on the feelings he harbored for more than half of his lifespan.

When Rintarou walked into the Slytherin common room holding hands with his brother, Atsumu had initially been in shock. He thought that Osamu would never do anything about his undying love for Rintarou. And as much as he envied Osamu for making moves and going so far so fast (he did not miss the hickies on their necks; how long would it be until he could do that to you without you hexing him into an untimely death?) Atsumu is happy for his brother.

If he had become your friend, would he have stayed so? Just your friend? Would being friend-zoned be better or worse than being seen as an enemy, though? He supposes he’ll never know.

“What’s with that stupid look on your face?” Kenji Futakuchi, one of Atsumu’s roommates, chortles from his four-poster bed, which is positioned on the right of Atsumu’s.

“Nothin’,” Atsumu replies lazily. “Go to sleep or somethin’.” He hears Futakuchi snort. Futakuchi had tried out for the Slytherin Quidditch team, expecting a spot since he played Chaser last year, and was mildly offended when Atsumu opted to take on Tsutomu Goshiki, a new recruit, over him. What could Atsumu do, though; Goshiki had out-flown Futakuchi by miles at the trials and is overall much less temperamental than Futakuchi.

His former Seeker and Captain, Tooru Oikawa, had (rightfully) put Atsumu in his place multiple times. Having played with Oikawa as his Captain for two years straight in his fifth and sixth years, Atsumu learned over time to control his urge to aggravate and provoke his teammates and opponents due to constant scolding from Oikawa. Thanks to his admiration of Oikawa, Atsumu decided that he wanted to lead a team that was willing to work well together, not just choosing the best fliers. Seeing as Futakuchi is very provocative, always starting conflicts with a silver tongue and cocky attitude (admittedly, not too unlike Atsumu himself), Atsumu was delighted to have found an alternative in Goshiki.

And thus, Futakuchi has been extra passive-aggressive to Atsumu lately.

“You’re not exactly making it easy for any of us to sleep,” Futakuchi sing-songs.

“What do ya mean? Just close yer eyes and fall asleep, idiot.”

“He can’t when ya keep tossin’ and turnin’ and gigglin’ to yerself,” Osamu grumbles from Atsumu’s left side. “No one can.” There’s an annoyed sigh of agreement from Rintarou, whose bed is next to Osamu’s. Then comes a muffled ‘Get me out of here’ from Kiyoomi Sakusa, one of Slytherin’s Chasers, from across the room, where his bed completes the circle of five.

“The hell happened to you today, man?” Futakuchi laughs. “Thought you’d be more upset after losing to Gryffindor today, but at dinner you were looking all happy and lovestruck.”

“Shut up,” Atsumu mumbles, clearly annoyed.

“Come onnnn,” the brunette Futakuchi presses. “Is it about that pretty girl (L/N)?” At this, Atsumu sits up in bed and glares at Futakuchi, who’s casually lounging with his body turned towards Atsumu, head propped up on his hand. “Thought as much after that day in Snape’s class.”

“Shut up,” Atsumu repeats rather crossly. “None of yer business." 

“Why so uptight, Captain? Are you trying that hard to get laid or something?” Futakuchi teases, waggling his eyebrows.

“Fuck you, yer lucky I’m in a good mood or I’ll — “

“So you _were_ trying to get laid?”

“What the hell, you _know_ that's not what I'm after — “

“Oh, of course, since it's your _lovely lady_ (L/N).” Futakuchi grins widely upon seeing how irritated Atsumu is getting.

“Yer a damn prick, ya know that?” Atsumu grits out.

“Speak for yourself.” And as much as Atsumu wants to argue back, Futakuchi is right. Atsumu has to admit that he, himself, _is_ kinda a damn prick.

“Another word from any of you and I’ll zip your mouths closed,” Sakusa threatens lowly from across the room. He sends a few red sparks up from the tip of his wand towards the ceiling as a warning.

"Yeah, so shut the fuck up Atsu — " Futakuchi pauses as he turns back in Atsumu's direction only to see him fast asleep. The bastard had somehow fallen asleep in a split second, leaving all of his roommates annoyed at his loud snoring.

_Seven years ago, on September 1st, Atsumu had been running late._

_Osamu is already at the front door, hair combed, dressed in proper clothes, and his trunk packed, while Atsumu is still clambering around the bedroom trying to get everything together. His unkempt hair (black, at the time; he hadn’t gone blonde until his third year when he and Osamu had gotten fed up of being mixed up all the time) keeps falling into his eyes, but he can’t care less about that upon hearing his mother shout at him to hurry just as he’s tugging on his left sock._

_“I’m comin’!” Atsumu yells down the stairs. Finny, one of his house elves, walks over with a comb in her hands, but Atsumu shakes his head. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, Finny. Mum’s gonna throw a fit if I don’t get down there within the next minute.”_

_“Young Master, Finny will miss you while you’re gone.” The sweet old house elf follows Atsumu down the stairs as he struggles to shove his large trunk down the stairs._

_“I’ll miss — ugh — you too,” Atsumu grunts as he pushes the trunk another step._

_“Hurry up, Atsumu!” his mother calls again, anger rising in her tone._

_“I said I’m comin’!” Atsumu shouts._

_“Young Master, Tooky will help you with your trunk!” The Miya’s second house elf appears at the bottom of the stairs, and with a snap of his fingers, he lifts Atsumu’s trunk off the ground and allows it to float all the way to the front door where Mr. and Mrs. Miya are waiting with Osamu._

_“Thanks, Tooky. Atsumu breathes a sigh of relief before hurrying down the stairs to join the rest of his family._

_“Lame,” Osamu says._

_“Shut yer trap, ‘Samu,” Atsumu scoffs._

_“What’s yer excuse for wakin’ up so late?” Mrs. Miya asks with a raise of her eyebrow._

_“’Samu didn’t wake me up even though ya told him to last night!” Atsumu whines._

_“’Cause ya sleep like a rock! I shook ya a million times and ya didn’t even stir,” Osamu defends himself._

_“It’s yer fault that we’re gonna be late!”_

_“Whadda ya mean? I woke up on time!”_

_“Boys,” Mrs. Miya warns._

_“Aww, Mum! Ground ‘Samu or somethin’!”_

_“Shut up, ‘Tsumu.”_

_“Please, boys, don’t give yer mother a headache. It’s too early for this,” Mr. Miya begs, opening the front door and moving towards their car. They would be driving to King’s Cross because Mrs. Miya believes that the boys are too young for Side-Along Apparition over such a long distance. Mr. Miya doesn’t really enjoy driving; he had gotten his drivers’ license from the Ministry and well_ — _wizards don’t exactly drive very often, so who were they to be judges of driving skill?_

_“Wish we could Apparate,” Atsumu grumbles as Mr. Miya begins loading the car with his and Osamu’s belongings. “Then it would just be SNAP! and we’re there.”_

_“Don’t wanna risk Apparating so far at yer age. Ya might get Splinched,” Mrs. Miya reminds her son._

_“Mum’s already told ya that a million times, too,” Osamu points out, which causes Atsumu to sneer at him._

_After a twenty minute drive filled with Atsumu and Osamu’s constant bickering, a very annoyed Mrs. Miya and a very tired Mr. Miya (Merlin’s Beard he really does hate driving that Muggle car), the Miyas pull up at Kings Cross Station._

_“I’ll grab the trolleys,” Mr. Miya says, quickly taking the opportunity to take a break from hearing his wife shout at their two rowdy sons._

_“Ya ate the Chocolate Frog I left on the kitchen counter last night!” Atsumu howls._

_“Too bad! Finders, keepers!” Osamu sticks his tongue out._

_“Loser! I hope ya got a horrible card!”_

_“I got Dumbledore, this is my third one.”_

_“No fair! I don’t have one of Dumbledore yet!”_

_“Sucks ta be ya, I’m keepin’ him.”_

_“Moooom! ‘Samu’s being mean!”_

_“Quiet, you two.” The twins immediately shut their mouths upon seeing their mother’s famous death glare._

_Upon entering Platform 9 ¾,the twins immediately spot Rintarou Suna, their childhood friend, and rush over. The Miyas had initially planned on carpooling with Sunas since they live so close to each other, but since Atsumu had woken up so late, Mrs. Miya had to cancel those plans._

_“Hey, Rin, look what I got.” Osamu shows Rintarou his Albus Dumbledore Chocolate Frog card, which Rintarou nods appreciatively at._

_“Cool. Always wanted one of him.”_

_“You can have him,” Osamu says immediately, practically shoving the card into Rintarou’s hands. Rintarou blinks, surprised at how quickly Osamu offered to hand it to him (the twins aren’t the best at sharing their things) but accepts it._

_“Thanks, ‘Samu.” Rintarou smiles, and Osamu unconsciously puffs out his chest with pride. Atsumu scowls with all his might, because dammit! That was supposed to be his Chocolate Frog card! Stupid ‘Samu!_

_“Kids, go find yourselves a compartment on the train, it’ll be leaving in a few minutes.” Mrs. Suna ushers the three children, all of whom are pushing their own luggage cart, towards the entrance of the train. On the way, Inari’s empty cage falls off the top of Atsumu’s cart, with a loud CLANG! and Atsumu thanks the Gods that his Dad had already sent her out to fly to Hogwarts because she absolutely hates riding in the car._

_“Hurry, hurry!” Mrs. Miya quickly places the cage back onto Atsumu’s trolley._

_“We’ll see you during the holidays, Rintarou, dear!” Mrs. Suna calls to her son, who’s the first one into the train out of the three boys._

_“Bye, Mum. Bye, Dad.” Rintarou waves to his parents briefly before pushing his trolley deeper into the train._

_“Have a fun time at school, boys! Don’t forget to write!” Mrs. Miya calls to her sons._

_“Yes, Mum,” Atsumu and Osamu chorus._

_“Don’t cause too much trouble,” Mr. Miya warns._

_“Yes, Dad,” Atsumu and Osamu say with matching, innocent, Cheshire smiles. Their dad sighs, shaking his head._

_“Do your best at school, boys.” The twins mock-salute to their parents before following after Rintarou._

_“Which compartment do ya want, Rin?” Osamu asks Rintarou, who’s peering around curiously at the rows and rows of sliding glass doors, navigating skillfully through the crowds of students streaming down the hallways._

_“Hm. This one, I guess.” Rintarou slides open an empty compartment before pushing his trolley inside. The twins follow suit, closing the door behind them._

_The trio is just getting settled in their seats after putting their trunks in the luggage racks when the door opens once again._

_A girl pokes her head in._

_Not just_ a _girl. A_ pretty _girl. Long, (H/C) hair flows down her shoulders, framing a gentle, soft face with delicate features. She smiles, her pink lips curving upwards and her (E/C) eyes crinkling slightly at the corners, as she sweeps her gaze upon the three boys in the compartment._

_“Excuse me,” she says, her tone polite. “May I sit here?”_

_“No,” Atsumu snaps before anyone else can utter a word. “It’s full in here. If ya come in it’ll be too crowded.” A lie. There’s plenty of room for two or maybe even three more people, and this girl is so small that she might as well count as half of one. But he doesn’t care. He doesn’t want anyone else in this compartment; he, Osamu, and Rintarou had claimed it for themselves first. Doesn’t matter if the girl is cute. Finders, keepers._

_Then, the girl does something entirely unexpected._

_Her pretty face crumples into a scowl, and she aggressively shoves open the compartment door, pushing her trolley right into the room._

_“Hey! Whadda ya think yer doin’?!” Atsumu exclaims._

_“I don’t care, I’m sitting here anyway,” she responds with a huff, thrusting her trunk under her seat and placing her owl cage next to her feet before putting her trolley in the corner where the boys left theirs._

_Atsumu stares at her in shock. Usually, girls do whatever he tells them to do. All of the ones at school always did. If he told them to go away, they’d leave immediately with a giggle and a wave; the shyer ones would simply cry. Based on this girl’s delicate appearance, he thought she’d be a crier. But no, she’s now striking up a friendly conversation with Osamu and Rintarou, completely ignoring his presence._

_“I’m (Y/N) (L/N), it’s nice to meet you both, Osamu and Rintarou.” The girl is smiling beautifully once again, and much to his chagrin, Atsumu feels his heart physically skip a beat. His cheeks redden and he immediately gets up from his seat, moving towards (Y/N) with his thick eyebrows drawn together in frustration._

_I’m Atsumu Miya!” he practically screams._

_Atsumu Miya, has anyone ever told you that your breath stinks?” the girl asks ever-so-sweetly, grimacing slightly and waving a small hand in front of her nose. Osamu and Rintarou roar with laughter when Atsumu draws back with an offended look on his face, and the volume of their teasing only grows when the train suddenly starts, lurching Atsumu backwards onto his seat._

_As Atsumu almost slams his head on cushion behind him, he can register his face burning up even more. He quickly sits up in his seat and glares, hard, at the girl, who is now sitting quietly with a book in her hands. The cover tells Atsumu that it’s Hogwarts: A History._

_“Why are ya readin’ somethin’ so borin’? Are ya some kinda nerd?” he sneers condescendingly. (Y/N) doesn’t look up from her book._

" _No, I just find this book very interesting,” she replies without a hint of agitation. She calmly turns a page. “I’m Muggleborn, so I don’t know a thing about Hogwarts.”_

_“Well, I can tell ya everythin’ ya need to know! I’m kinda an expert.” Atsumu proudly puffs out his chest, and she finally glances up at him, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Rintarou and Osamu are snickering at Atsumu, knowing full-well that he’s about to make a big fool out of himself._

_Really? Can you tell me the names of the four founders of Hogwarts?”_

_“Easyyy. Gregory Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rosie Ravenclaw, and Helen Hufflepuff!” Atsumu immediately regrets opening his mouth when Rintarou and Osamu burst into rambunctious laughter once again._

_"_ _No. The only one you got right is Slytherin. It’s Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Helga Hufflepuff.” (Y/N) is respectable enough to hold back her laughter as she explains this to Atsumu, only allowing a smile to stretch wide on her lips, but Rintarou and Osamu are practically in tears._

_"_ _Rosie!” Osamu wheezes._

_“I think reading a few chapters of that book would do you good,” Rintarou comments through his laughter._

_"Yer all losers.” Atsumu glowers._

_"Gregory! Helen!”_

_“Shut yer trap, ‘Samu!”_

_Atsumu continues to pick little fights with the girl, (Y/N), on the day-long trip to Hogwarts. Every few minutes, he would say something in an attempt to provoke her, whether it was joking that there’s a spider in her hair (it only worked once but he continued to try it because he thought her reaction was hilarious) or telling her that she reminds him of this ugly troll that his Auror father had banished from an abandoned house a few weeks earlier. Despite his relentless prodding, (Y/N) remains largely unaffected, still engrossed in book after book despite Atsumu teasing her for being a ‘nerd’._

_“I can see yer goal is to get into Ravenclaw with the rest of the nerds,” he had commented at some point in the ride._

_“Maybe Ravenclaw would be a good fit for me, but it’s up to the Sorting Hat to decide,” she had responded amiably. “I wouldn’t mind being in any house.”_

_“Slytherin’s the best,” Atsumu had told her. “My entire family has been Slytherins for lots and lots of generations.”_

_“Really? That’s pretty neat.” Her remark had thrown him off-guard. He wanted to be proud that she had called something he said ‘neat’, but at the same time, he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he likes her praise._

_“W-Well! Ya better not be in Slytherin. Yer lame self would ruin the coolness of our house if you were in it,” he had scoffed._

_“I’m not sure I’d want to be in the same house as you, anyway,” she replied without missing a beat, earning a chorus of ‘ooo’s from Osamu and Rintarou._

_By the end of the train ride, Atsumu’s a complete mess. His cheeks are still stained bright red, as they had been for the entire journey. All he wanted was to talk to her more and more, keep provoking and provoking her, and receive her cold responses over and over. She is just so… interesting._

_The train comes to a complete stop and the announcements state that students can now start leaving their compartments. (Y/N) closes her book and drags out her trunk from under her seat and puts it away. Of course, someone would come to collect the luggage and bring it all up to the dormitories later. (Y/N) gets to her feet and waves to the three boys._

_“Maybe I’ll see you all around.” The girl gently taps the bars of her owl cage, which Atsumu notices for the first time holds a baby great-horned owl. “Bye, Kou.” The owl twitters happily upon receiving her goodbye. As (Y/N) walks out of the compartment, Atsumu looks back at her owl, and the baby bird’s large, yellow eyes are practically staring into his soul. It snaps its beak in Atsumu’s direction. Atsumu flinches._

_“C’mon, ‘Tsumu, stop being so slow.” Osamu and Rintarou are already at the compartment’s entrance._

_"Listen_ _,” Atsumu says hurriedly, getting to his feet and rushing towards his brother and his friend. “That girl_ — _(L/N) (Y/N)_ — _I better not see you two losers makin’ a move on her or somethin’.”_

 _“What the hell,” Osamu scoffs impatiently. “’Tsumu, ya know_ _I’m_ — _“ The twins share a silent look with each other._

_“Not interested,” Rintarou adds lazily._

_“Good.” Atsumu nods, satisfied._

_“What? Ya think yer ever gonna have a chance with her after ya showed her that yer the world’s biggest dumbass?” Osamu snorts. Atsumu glares._

_“Shut it, ‘Samu.”_

_The first years board the boats to row to the castle, and Atsumu gets stuck with his brother, Rintarou and two other first-year boys who he discovers are named Kiyoomi Sakusa and Kourai Hoshiumi. Kiyoomi is a curly-haired boy who doesn’t speak a word after introducing himself, while Kourai is a complete chatterbox that doesn’t stop talking for the entire ride up to Hogwarts._

_“I can’t wait to see what house I’ll be Sorted into!” Kourai cheers. “Will it be Gryffindor? Ravenclaw? Hufflepuff? Or maybe Slytherin?”_

_“_ _Definitely not Ravenclaw,” Atsumu tells him rather rudely, which earns a hard noogie from Osamu._

_“Sorry ‘bout him,” Osamu mumbles, but Kourai doesn’t seem to care, continuing to blab their ears off. Kiyoomi looks like he wants to hurl himself from the rowboat and into the water._

_Another boat passes by, and Atsumu perks up as he immediately recognizes the laughter of (Y/N), the girl he had met on the train. He turns around so fast that he almost gets whiplash and ends up violently rocking the boat (which causes his boatmates to shout at him, but he doesn’t care). (Y/N)’s in a boat with two other girls and a boy with sandy, unevenly-cut hair. Atsumu resists the urge to snort; what an ugly haircut._

_(Y/N) laughs at something the sandy-haired jerk says, causing Atsumu to scowl._

_The rest of the night flies by in the blink of an eye._

_As expected, Atsumu is Sorted into Slytherin along with his brother and Rintarou. Kiyoomi had joined them at the table as well, while Kourai goes to Gryffindor. (Y/N) is put in Ravenclaw, and she smiles so brightly that Atsumu had to stop himself from smiling as well, instead opting to stick his tongue out at her as she walked past the Slytherin table towards the Ravenclaw one. She returns the favor._

_Thus began the seven-year long complications between Atsumu Miya and (Y/N) (L/N)._

_In his first year, Atsumu shared a flying class with (Y/N)._

_He’s a natural flier, since he’s been playing Quidditch since he was very young. He and his brother were the only first years to ever be invited onto the Slytherin Quidditch team in the history of Hogwarts, and as Beaters, no less. Beater positions are usually supposed to be filled with large, muscular, older students, and he and Osamu, despite having above average heights and builds for their age, had still been undeniably scrawny compared to the other teams. However, the twins quickly showed their amazing abilities and easily built their reputation as some of the most skilled Quidditch players on campus._

_(Y/N), on the other hand, is not. Her broom had reacted very quickly upon saying ‘Up!’, as she is undoubtedly a talented witch. A few days into flying lessons, after everyone had successfully gotten their brooms into their hands (Atsumu found this all so boring; brooms had been at his command since he was two or three!), the first years are now working on kicking off the ground. (Y/N) is one of the students who are absolutely terrified of getting into the air. She had obviously never ridden a broom before due to her family background, but Atsumu couldn’t help but laugh and tease her for her fear._

_“C’mon, (L/N)! Whatcha so scared for? Ya scared yer gonna fall outta the sky?” Atsumu calls down from above. He watches as she frowns, glowering up at him. Before she can retort, however, another voice cuts in,_

_“Yeah, you stupid Mudblood! What’s the big deal?” Atsumu whips his head around, a murderous scowl crossing his features. It’s Leonard Crabbe, a blood supremacist loser. Atsumu sees red._

_“I’m gonna bash yer skull in, Crabbe!” Atsumu bellows, but before he can move, Osamu holds him back with a strong tug on the back of his robes._

_“Madam Hooch is watchin’, ya idiot!” Osamu hisses loudly. Atsumu wrenches away from Osamu, slowly maneuvering his broom towards Crabbe in a menacing manner._

_“Meet me behind the library after class today and then let’s see who yer still gonna dare to call a Mudblood,” Atsumu sneers before leaving a very terrified Crabbe floating fearfully a few feet above the ground._

_(Y/N) didn’t see or hear all the commotion, however, as all of her friends had crowded around her and formed a protective barrier upon hearing someone use such a hateful term to address her. So of course, she never saw the way Atsumu peered worriedly her direction before turning away with a huff and a blush on his face._

_In his second year, Atsumu found (Y/N) crying in the library after she had received bad marks on her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam._

_He had needed to borrow an extra copy of his Charms textbook because he had left his somewhere in the castle, so he reluctantly made his way over to the library after classes ended for the day._

_As soon as Atsumu enters the library, he’s met with Madam Pince’s suspicious stare; she’s well-aware of his reputation for trouble and would definitely be keeping an eye on him. There’s no need to, anyway, Atsumu isn’t here to cause trouble. He just needs an extra Charms textbook. Atsumu’s sauntering towards the Textbooks section when he suddenly bumps into someone._

_“Watch where yer goin’,” he snaps, not even looking at the person he bumped into, but then he hears a sniff. Frowning, he looks down to see (Y/N), her eyes rimmed-red and brimming with tears._

_"No,” she spits venomously. “You watch where_ you’re _going, Miya.” Even when she’s crying, she manages to stand up to him. A considerable feat, really._

_“Why are ya cryin’, (L/N)?” Atsumu asks as she tries to brush past him. “Hey.” He stops her with a hand on her shoulder._

_“I’m not crying!” (Y/N) says, slapping his hand away from her. Atsumu snorts._

_“And I’m not blind.” He spies a crumpled piece of paper clenched in her hand. Before she can react, he’s already snatched it out of her grip._

_“Give it back, Miya!” (Y/N)’s fuming now, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk hoarding nuts. Atsumu smiles, holding the paper high above his head._

_“Nah.” He then smooths out the paper, still keeping the paper safely out of (Y/N)’s reach, and his eyes widen upon seeing the mark on a Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. P. Poor. A failing grade._

_“Stop looking at it!” More tears spill down (Y/N)’s face. “It’s embarrassing, I get it!”_

_“…This is what yer cryin’ over?” Atsumu chortles. “C’mon, ya dumb troll. It’s one grade.” Apparently right now is not the best time to call her a ‘dumb troll’, because she starts sniffling again, and Atsumu quickly backtracks. “Nah, (L/N), don’t worry so much. It doesn’t make a difference. Yer still smart or whatever.” He allows (Y/N) to take the exam paper back, and she angrily shoves the paper into the pocket of her robes._

_"I_ _t’s the first time I’ve ever gotten a mark like it,” she says quietly._

_“Like I said, it’s one grade. Loosen up.” Atsumu himself had personally gotten D for Dreadful on that exam, but he didn’t even care enough to share that bit of information with her. “You’ll do better next time. Ya better stop cryin’. Ya look like a loser.” With that, Atsumu grabs his needed Charms textbook off the shelf and walks away, leaving a very confused (but no longer crying) (Y/N) behind._

_In his third year, he had come close (but not close enough) to confessing to (Y/N)._

_He and Osamu had arrived at Hogwarts with freshly-dyed hair, his blonde, and Osamu’s gray. Immediately, the twins’ new appearances caught the attention of many students at Hogwarts, as it is now much easier to tell the two apart. Nothing bothered the twins more than people getting them mixed up; are these people blind or something? Can’t they ever tell that the twins have different parts?_

_Hogwarts students have the chance to select Care of Magical Creatures as a course in their third years, and Atsumu had opted to take the class along with Osamu and Rintarou. He had always been quite fascinated with magical creatures (this interest, of course, came second to Quidditch) so upon receiving the opportunity, Atsumu had immediately made room on his timetable for it._

_And low and behold, he knew there were good reasons why he chose this class. (Y/N)’s in his Care of Magical Creatures class, perfect. A chance to show off to her the knowledge he (actually, this time) has. Professor Grubbly-Plank’s classes are boring, however, as they only work with flobberworms for a good quarter of the year. At least Atsumu had gotten to stick one down Osamu’s shirt and make him scream like a little girl (let’s not talk about the time Osamu put a worm in Atsumu’s pants as revenge)._

_Then arrives the opportunity that Atsumu’s been waiting for. Hagrid, the gamekeeper, is invited to be a guest teacher for one session and brought in a hippogriff for the Care of Magical Creatures class to observe. When asked if anyone wants to have a go at earning the hippogriff’s respect, Atsumu had eagerly stepped up. He easily tames the hippogriff, and basks in the awed looks of his classmates (including (Y/N)!) at the ease with which he completed the task. But before Atsumu can feed his own ego with the impressed expression on (Y/N)’s face, it all ends in a split second._

_A guffawing dumbass with a name Atsumu cannot recall (but he gave a black eye to after the incident) sneaks up behind the hippogriff and plucks out one of its tail hairs. With a mighty screech, the hippogriff rises onto its hind legs, waving its talons wildly, and ends up knocking over one of the nearby trees. Students scream and scramble back away from the scene, but one of the large branches snaps and knocks (Y/N) over._

_“Woah, woah there, Stormtail!” Hagrid tries to calm down the hippogriff while everyone in the class crowds around (Y/N), worried for her wellbeing. Atsumu himself rushes over to her side in an instant, and she’s laying there, wide-eyed, with her arm twisted in an awkward, unpleasant angle._

_“I-I’m okay,” (Y/N) stammers out, clearly holding back tears with the way she bites her lip._

_“Out of the way!” Atsumu hollers as he pushes aside a few disgruntled students to reach her, panic written all over his face._

_“Ah, yeh big brute, stop movin’_ _— “ Hagrid throws some raw meat at the hippogriff to_ _calm it down. “Miya! Take (L/N) to the hospital wing!” Atsumu doesn’t need to be told twice. He immediately scoops (Y/N) into his arms (thanks to his Quidditch training, he is finally starting to build up some muscle, so it’s an effortless endeavor), and rushes towards the hospital wing._

_“God, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill that kid,” he mutters under his breath to no one in particular. (Y/N) doesn’t say anything, her eyebrows knitted together and her lips pressed together as if trying not to scream in pain. Even for wizards and witches, broken bones hurt just as much. “Hang in there, (L/N). We’re almost there.”_

_Madam Pomfrey blanches immediately at the sight of (Y/N)’s broken arm as Atsumu sprints in with her in his arms. “Put her down! Quick!” she orders, and Atsumu obeys, placing (Y/N)’s body on the nearest hospital bed._

_Atsumu is preparing to leave when he hears her say in a small voice, “Miya…” He pauses, turning around._

_“What?”_

_“Thanks.” (Y/N) offers him a tiny, genuine smile. Not mocking or sarcastic or ironic. Very unlike the smiles she’s given him so far. Atsumu’s cheeks color._

_“(L/N)…” In the background, Madam Pomfrey is bustling around the hospital wing, gathering materials for mending (Y/N)’s arm. But Atsumu can only hear the sound of his heart beating, the erratic rhythm of his own breaths_ — “ _I li_ — _get well soon.” A look of confusion crosses (Y/N)’s face, but she nor Atsumu have time to dwell on his words before Madam Pomfrey ushers Atsumu out of the hospital wing, telling him that (Y/N) needs to rest._

_The next time Atsumu sees (Y/N), he tells her that she looks like the ugliest goblin at Gringotts._

_In his fourth year, he started indulging in girls’ attraction to him._

_He’s now fourteen, tall and muscular for his age thanks to hours and hours of Quidditch. He’s no longer the tiny, scrawny boy that many had looked down at upon hearing that he’ll be one of Slytherin’s Beaters._

_It’s also been four years since he’s met (Y/N), the girl he’s been longing after for the entire period, and he has made little to no progress with her because he always manages to take three large steps back after a single baby step forward._

_He is growing impatient, now. (Y/N)’s still not remotely interested in him, while many other girls are. They’re always hanging around him, batting their eyelashes and giggling shrilly at everything he says. Atsumu couldn’t help but let this all inflate his already-large ego ten-fold. Who could blame them, though? He knows he’s eye candy. He knows he’s attractive. And maybe this would help him forget about (Y/N)._

_He starts taking girls into Hogsmeade. Not just one at a time. There’s a whole gaggle of them, following him to Honeydukes and Zonko’s, buying him whatever he pleases with their own money. They hang onto his every word and treasure every bit of his attention._

_And for a while, he thinks it’s working. There are girls everywhere, following him from class to class, attending all his Quidditch practices and games to cheer him on, tripping over themselves to rush to Hogsmeade and spend time trailing him like lost puppy dogs. Atsumu finds this all very, very amusing. So amusing, that he almost thinks that he’s forgotten all about (Y/N)._

_Until one snowy Saturday, he’s surrounded by his usual group of girls, giggling and squealing over being able to spend time with the one and only Atsumu Miya, when he hears (Y/N)’s familiar, sweet laugh. He freezes, and not from the cold._

_She’s standing by Honeydukes with a package of chocolates in her gloved hands, her face tinted gorgeously pink from the cold. She’s bundled up in a warm winter coat and her Ravenclaw scarf, and is accompanied by a few of her friends. (Y/N) doesn’t even look at him, not even once, and she’s not doing anything special or remarkable in just standing there and talking, but he can’t tear his eyes away._

_It’s in that moment that Atsumu knew in his heart that he’s never getting ‘over’ her._

_Ignoring the cries of his fan club, Atsumu returns to Hogwarts early that day._

_In his fifth year, Atsumu tried to ask (Y/N) to the Yule Ball._

_It is Hogwart’s turn to host the Triwizard Tournament, which is only held once every five years. Only students aged seventeen or older could compete, and Atsumu had sulked about that fact for days, as he is only fifteen. He had sulked even deeper when he heard that one of the traditional activities for the Triwizard Tournament is the Yule Ball, in which students attend a formal dance. He knows that he’ll have to fend off girls that will try to somehow coerce him into going with them._

_And sure enough, on the first day after the Yule Ball was announced, Atsumu had already rejected around twenty girls that had decided to shoot their shot. When Atsumu informed Osamu of his woes (Osamu had received lots of invitations as well, but he had managed to shut them all down by lying that he already had a date, something that Atsumu hadn’t thought to do), Osamu had simply laughed._

_“Nah, yer lyin’. Who would wanna go to the ball with ya? Yer ugly.”_

_“Shut up, ‘Samu, we have the same fuckin’ face.”_

_Atsumu is honestly considering not going to the Ball at all; he thinks it sounds perpetually boring. He doesn’t know how to nor does he want to learn how to dance. The only thing interesting about this whole Triwizard Tournament thing is competing_ _— which he obviously isn’t allowed to do._

_Then he receives a rude awakening in the middle of Quidditch practice. Literally. A Bludger clobbers him in the head and suddenly, he can think clearly. Even as his teammates shout at him, the only thought on Atsumu’s mind is of is how he’s going to ask (Y/N) to the Yule Ball._

_He goes to the library right after practice, where (Y/N)’s bound to be, and to his shock, he finds Durmstrang’s Champion, Omar Snowbell, sitting across from her, watching her study. (Y/N) doesn’t seem all that comfortable with a big, hulking dude observing her, but she makes no move to tell him to go away. And knowing her, she_ would _tell someone to screw off if she didn’t like their presence._

_“Oi, (L/N),” he calls out to her. She looks up from her textbook, and the Durmstrang guy also turns, looking at Atsumu. Now, at this point, Atsumu is no shrimp, but he’s still nothing compared to the giant that is Snowbell. Snowbell frowns, slow and unsure, as if his brain runs a meter an hour._

_“Miya,” she greets plainly._

_“Are ya goin’ to the Yule Ball?” Atsumu questions._

_“Not planning on it,” (Y/N) replies, looking back down at her book._

_“Well of course, no one’s asked ya, have they?” At Atsumu’s rather cruel comment, (Y/N) glances up again, annoyed._

_“What’s your problem?” she grumbles._

_“Oh, come on, just go with m — “_

_“(L/N), would you do me the absolute honor of going to the ball with me?” Snowbell cuts in. Atsumu snorts. What a fucking nerd. Who the hell asks girls out like that? Surely (Y/N) would think he’s a loser and say —_

_“Sure.” As she beams up at Snowbell, Atsumu’s jaw hits the floor. Did this big oaf just ask_ his _girl to the ball right in front of him?_

_“What the hell — “ Before Atsumu can continue, Snowbell suddenly gets to his feet. He towers over Atsumu, flexing his large muscles menacingly._

_“Got an issue, pretty boy?” Snowbell narrows his eyes. Atsumu isn’t scared of this barbarian who likely has the brain size of a pea. On the contrary, he’s down to rumble with him if it comes down to it. But then he spies (Y/N), peering in concern at Snowbell, and he decides it’s not worth it. He doesn’t want to make her worry._

_“No. Nothing at all.” With that, Atsumu turns on his heel and strides out of the library, frustrated upon admitting yet another defeat._

_Seeing (Y/N) dance at the ball in the arms of the Durmstrang Champion while he had a random groupie with him was one of the most infuriating experiences of Atsumu’s fifteen years of_ _life so far._

_On the contrary, witnessing her reject Snowbell’s advances for anything other dancing brought satisfaction to him. So Atsumu hadn’t lost her just yet._

_Finally, in his sixth year came Atsumu’s most recent attempt at admitting his feelings to (Y/N)._

_Valentine’s Day is a holiday that he despises. He’s been sent boxes and boxes of chocolates and candies spiked with love potion over the years that he’s never hesitated to throw away (he’s really not that stupid) and he finds the whole ordeal quite meaningless. It’s just another excuse for silly girls to come too close for comfort._

_For a few weeks leading up to the occasion, the street peddlers in Hogsmeade had put enchanted flowers for sale, their colored petals shining and glittering temptingly with utmost beauty and vibrancy. Every color of the rainbow of every species of flower lined their carts. Girls would stand near the carts and gush about how badly they wanted their boyfriends or hopeful love interests to buy a bouquet for them._

_“Any girl would fall in love with someone that gave her such a gorgeous bouquet!” Atsumu hears one girl sigh dreamily. He stills on the spot, casting glances at Osamu and Rintarou (he has stopped going to Hogsmeade with his fan club; he finds it incredibly dull and frustrating)._

_“Did ya hear that?” Atsumu bristles in excitement._

_“Ya can’t be serious.” Osamu rolls his eyes. “Buying a bouquet isn’t gonna make (L/N) fall for yer dumb self.”_

_“Fuck you,” Atsumu snaps. “I’m desperate at this point.”_

_“Yeah, we know,” hums Rintarou, earning a dirty look from Atsumu._

_“I need to find out what kind of flowers she likes.” Atsumu now has a mission. Osamu and Rintarou sigh in exasperation, knowing that this is about to end disastrously once again._

_A few weeks later, on Valentine’s Day, Atsumu is strolling up to the street peddlers, money in hand, ready to purchase a bouquet for (Y/N). After chatting a bit with one of her roommates, he found out that her favorite flowers are red roses. And thus, he picks the largest, brightest, most gorgeous set of crimson roses he can find, and hands over five Galleons in return for the enchanted flowers. These blossoms will never die, but unlike fake flowers you could find in Muggle supermarkets, they are real flowers that emit a fragrant smell and feel soft and velvety to the touch. Atsumu quickly checks the stems for thorns, and is pleased to find none. The last thing he wants is for (Y/N) to accept them and get poked by a stray thorn._

_He knows (Y/N) will be in The Three Broomsticks based on the information he had gathered from her roommate, and sure enough, when he walks into the pub, she’s sitting at a table with a group of her friends. She’s happily sipping a butterbeer and conversing with Madam Rosmerta, the pub owner._

_Flowers in hand, Atsumu strides up to her table. With each step, he feels himself lose more and more confidence. Would it actually work out this time? A nagging voice in his head tells him no. By the time he reaches (Y/N)’s table, his hands are shaking around the bouquet, palms slick with sweat and fingers slipping from the stems._

_“Oi.” His voice comes out louder than expected, and (Y/N) and Madam Rosmerta pause their conversation to glance at him. (Y/N)’s friends also turn their attention to him. Atsumu feels heat gather in his cheeks. “Um.” He thrusts the everlasting blossoms in (Y/N)’s face. “Yer — yer favorite flowers are red roses, right?” Shocked, she blinks a few times before uttering,_

_“Yes…?”_

_“Really, now?!” Panic now taking over Atsumu’s whole being, he suddenly draws back the bouquet, tripping over his words and his own feet. “Well — good to know!” After a brief moment of awkward flailing, he rushes out of the pub, clutching the flowers to his chest for dear life._

_Atsumu ends up giving the flowers to his senior, Tooru Oikawa, who proceeds to use them to (successfully) confess to his long-time crush, Hajime Iwaizumi._

_At least someone ended up happy on that Valentine’s Day._

Atsumu wakes up late.

When his eyes finally peel open, his dormitory is empty. That means everyone’s already at breakfast, and —

“Fuck!”

— if he doesn’t get ready fast, he’ll be late for his date with you, too!

Atsumu continues to curse rapidly under his breath as he sprints into the bathroom to take a quick shower. He frantically shampoos his blonde hair at record pace, hands working through his locks as fast as he can. As soon as the bubbles disappear from his hair, he’s turning off the water and throwing a towel over his lower half. He uses a second towel to wring out his still-soaked hair while he brushes his teeth at lightning speed. Sprinting across the dormitory to his trunk, he retrieves the first set of casual clothing he can find — a gray hooded sweatshirt and a pair of jeans — and hurries back to the bathroom to throw them on.

Now he’s inspecting his appearance. His impromptu clothing choice is passable. He looks and feels clean and not like he had just woken up less than ten minutes ago. But then he remembers the way you had described his hair last night… ‘piss-colored’.

_Shit. Is my hair really piss-colored?_

Atsumu frowns, running a hand through his still-damp hair. He doesn’t like the fact that you compared his hair color to pee. Perhaps it’s finally time to make a change after four years of sporting the same hairstyle.

Picking up his wand, Atsumu points it at his hair, grimacing at the way its color does seem to resemble piss the more he looks at it. “Colovaria.” Instantly, his hair lightens and neutralizes to a much more pleasant shade of beach blonde. Atsumu spends a few seconds considering a few angles of his new hair and decides that it suits him much better. Maybe he’ll even his hair grow out a little; keeping it at the same length for years upon years has gotten a little boring.

With that, he grabs his wallet and stuffs it along with his wand into the pocket of his jeans. Now he’s on his merry (and slightly rushed) way down the moving staircases to the Great Hall. Students are filtering out of the large double doors already, as breakfast is over. Atsumu hopes you didn’t leave early or think that he had ditched you on purpose.

Then he runs smack-dab into Osamu.

“Hey.” Osamu does a double-take as he considers Atsumu’s new appearance. “Nice hair.”

“Yeah, I know.” Atsumu rolls his eyes. “Have ya seen (L/N)? We’re supposed to be headin’ to Hogsmeade soon — “

“The hell ya talkin’ about? We have Quidditch practice, _Captain_ ,” Osamu deadpans. Atsumu’s heart sinks into his stomach. He had completely forgotten about practice today. “We have a game in a week. Pull yerself together, for fuck’s sake.”

“Goddammit.” Atsumu groans, carding his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I’ve gotta cancel my plans, then. Damn. Do ya think she’ll be mad — “

“Relax, dumbass. Ya know (L/N) won’t get angry over dumb shit like this.” Osamu ‘tsks’. “Yer literally the Captain. Yer the one who set the practice dates, genius. So don’t ya go complainin’.”

“M'not,” Atsumu grouches. “I just didn’t think that I’d end up almost goin’ out with her today. Fuck. I screwed myself over.” Osamu simply nods with a sardonic grin and sends his brother on his way. Atsumu continues to mope as he slowly makes his way towards you. He gets a multitude of compliments on his hair, but he ignores them, dreading how he has to cancel the plans. And to think, he’d gotten so close to taking you out on a real date…

“Hey, (L/N).” You turn around upon hearing Atsumu call your name.

“Hi.” You’re smiling brightly. “I like the new hair. It suits you.”

“Thanks.” Atsumu hesitantly smiles back. You’re extra cute today in your casual clothing of a soft, cotton sweater paired with a pleated skirt. Atsumu’s heart aches.

“What’s wrong?” you ask, noticing the worry that mars Atsumu’s features. He clears his throat, eyebrows knitting together nervously.

“Sorry, I completely forgot I scheduled Quidditch practice for today,” he mumbles guiltily. “I-I’m really sorry, (L/N). I just — I didn’t know —“

“It’s okay.” You’re still smiling, albeit a little less enthusiastically, but kindly nonetheless. “We can go next month. There’s a visit scheduled before the holidays, anyway.” You motion to your friends, who are all observing your conversation with Atsumu like angry hawks stalking for prey. “If you need something from Honeydukes, I can ask one of them to bring it back for you.” Atsumu laughs nervously when he makes brief eye contact with Shimizu, whose skepticism and dislike shows all over her face.

“No, it’s alright.” Atsumu turns his focus back to you before mentally breathing a huge sigh of relief. Osamu was right. You’re not the type to get genuinely riled up over the slightest things. “Thank for understandin'. I’ll see ya around. I’ve gotta get to practice.” For once in his life, he is cursing the fact that he has to play Quidditch.

“Wait!” He pauses in his tracks when he hears you call out to him. You hand him a few breakfast rolls and a plate of sausages. “I know you didn’t eat breakfast this morning. You can’t practice on an empty stomach.” Atsumu never thought he’d fall in love with you all over again just by you handing him breakfast. As it turns out, he was dead wrong.

“Thanks.” His stomach is doing somersaults and flips so he’s not even sure if he’ll be able to keep the food down at this point, but you look so concerned that he quickly wolfs down the food you gave him. His efforts are rewarded by your satisfied nod.

“Good luck at practice. Maybe I’ll swing by after I study for my Astronomy exam.” With that, you send him one more breathtaking smile before leaving him to join your friends, who are still watching the pair of you, all while giggling and whispering among themselves, except for Shimizu, of course, who gives him a pointed look that screams 'I'm watching you'.

“Damn, tough luck huh, lover boy?” Futakuchi suddenly appears next to him, a smug smirk on his face. “Quidditch practice instead of a hot date?”

“Fuck off,” Atsumu so eloquently tells him.

“I can’t believe someone like (L/N) is actually into you.” Futakuchi snorts. “Thought she had taste. Guess I was wrong.”

“Excuse me?” Atsumu can feel his temper rising. He is still a little pissed at Futakuchi from last night, and now he’s rubbing salt in a fresh wound.

“Do you even know how to take care of a girl?” The brunette raises his eyebrows. “Last time I checked, Atsumu Miya doesn’t do _relationships_.”

“I can learn, for _her_ ,” Atsumu responds, unwavering. “There's a first time for everythin'. Besides, I didn’t know that yer this interested in my love life.”

“Nah.” Futakuchi shrugs. “You know, you’re not the only one who has a thing for (L/N). So don’t think you’re so special.”

“Too bad for them, then.” The tall blonde sneers. “Tell them to get in line.”

“Please.” Futakuchi laughs. “You don’t know what it’s like to have a girlfriend. You don’t know how to treat her, or any girl for that matter, right. You’re as inexperienced with relationships as any first year in this castle.”

“Shut up.” Atsumu’s jaw tightens.

“I’m right.” The brunette looks so awfully, awfully, smug. “It’s only a matter of time before (L/N) realizes that despite all your talk and reputation, you’d be a shit partner. Have fun while you can.” Without giving Atsumu a chance to retaliate, Futakuchi casually saunters away.

Atsumu’s fist clenches and unclenches. Clench. Unclench. Clench. Unclench.

As much as he tries not to let Futakuchi’s words get the best of him, he can’t help but remember every last one, each syllable echoing tauntingly in his mind.

-

About thirty minutes later, he’s down on the Quidditch pitch, commanding his team.

“Taichi, I want ya to practice your saves. RinRin, Omi, Tomu — line up near the goal posts and take turns throwin’ the Quaffle. Tobio, I’m releasin’ the Snitch and I want it found in three minutes. I’m keeping time. Yes, wear your gloves. ‘Samu, we’ll be running Bludger drills, let me just get Tobio started — “ Atsumu pauses as his thoughts decide to give him a bitter reminder that he could be at Hogsmeade with you right now, had it not been for Quidditch practice. Atsumu suddenly feels quite irritated; not a good mindset for a captain.

“Um… Captain?” Kageyama asks hesitantly, as Atsumu was supposed to release the Snitch but never did.

“Fuck, sorry, Tobio.” Atsumu immediately undoes the safety straps that lock the Snitch in and sends it fluttering into the air. Kageyama mounts his broom and shoots into the air, with Atsumu hitting ‘Start’ on the stopwatch in his hand.

“’Samu, release the Bludgers for me,” Atsumu requests. Osamu gives a grunt of compliance. The Captain observes his players, his gaze first trained on Kageyama soaring about up in the clouds, searching for the Snitch. He then glances at the Chasers and Taichi, who are doing well with their drill.

Atsumu and Osamu mount their brooms, Beater bats in hand, as they prepare to rally the large black balls as part of their drill. Osamu smacks one of the Bludgers in Atsumu’s direction, which he immediately sends straight back. The distance between the two grows and grows, with each resounding SMACK! requiring more power to send the ball back to the other person.

“I’ve got the Snitch!” Kageyama announces, and Atsumu quickly checks the timer. Two minutes and ten seconds.

“Good!” he praises his Seeker. Kageyama hands him the caught Snitch, and Atsumu throws it into the air a second time. “Try under two minutes!”

All in all, Atsumu is able to drown himself in the game he loves most. Especially now that he’s Captain, he has to take responsibility for the team and can’t be caught slacking.

Practice proceeds for its first two hours without many hiccups. Taichi’s making consistent saves, the three Chasers are throwing with good accuracy, Tobio’s finding the Snitch quickly, Atsumu and Osamu have yet to break their rally of Bludgers. Atsumu feels good about his team. He truly feels that they have the potential to completely clobber Hufflepuff next week —

 _Is that Kenji fucking Futakuchi talking to you in the stands_.

Atsumu whirls around, not paying attention to the Bludgers, which whiz by and graze his cheek.

“Eyes on the Bludgers, ‘Tsumu!” Osamu shouts, and Atsumu growls but tears his gaze away from where Kenji Futakuchi seems to be having a very _interesting_ conversation with you.

And suddenly, as Futakuchi whispers something in your ear and motions towards Atsumu, with you sending him a look laced with hesitation and apprehension, Atsumu feels something within him break.

_What if Futakuchi is right?_

He was correct that Atsumu has never been in a relationship. He doesn’t _date._ He doesn’t know what constitutes a real relationship beyond the label. Why did he think that he’d be able to commit so fast and so easily, even if you’re the girl he’s been in love with for years? This shit doesn’t come as easily as it looks. Maybe he’s not ready. And you don’t deserve to have to wait for him. You deserve someone who’s wholeheartedly ready to love you for the rest of your life without a shadow of doubt in their mind.

“’Tsumu! Focus!” Osamu yells as another Bludger nearly hits Atsumu squarely in the chest.

_No. You’ve been selfish long enough, keepin’ other guys away from her and not lettin’ anyone near her. And now that ya finally have a chance, yer not fuckin’_ ready _. Loser._ Frustrated, Atsumu smacks a Bludger extra-hard, and Osamu barely avoids getting clobbered in the stomach. _Ya go cryin’ over a girl for seven years and now ya don’t even know how to treat her. What the hell._

Finally, guilt starts to build up in his chest. All those years of bothering you, provoking you, annoying you — did he deserve you after all of that? You never even had to give him the time of day, and he should consider himself lucky that he's maintained a lick of your attention after all this time.

He thinks back to the trip down memory lane that his brain had decided to take on him the previous night. God, he really doesn’t know how to act around you. And now he thinks he should be the one you want? He had hardly even given you the chance to choose anyone but himself.

Atsumu's made it clear since the beginning that he's interested in you (to everyone else but you, apparently) and the rest of the school were (mostly) respectful enough to acknowledge that. But when did he actually get the right to keep others away from you like that? _Never._

He doesn’t deserve to have you smile at him. He doesn’t deserve to have you worry about him. He doesn’t deserve to even have you consider the possibility of loving him. Is this fate playing a cruel trick on him? Showing him something he could have, but maliciously tearing it away with the realization that he’s so undeserving?

“Good job today.” His voice sounds disembodied as he addresses his team with a hollowed, unfeeling tone at the end of practice. “Keep up the hard work. We’ll regroup on Monday for another practice.”

Then Atsumu stalks off the Quidditch pitch without another word. He thinks he can vaguely hear you calling his name, but he doesn’t look back. To be humbled by the fact that he’s been wildly selfish and horrible to the person who he loves the most, is not an easy pill to swallow.

"Atsumu! Atsumu! Wait!" You're suddenly right behind him, and you grab his arm in an attempt to slow him down. "Jeez, why did you leave so quickly?" You don't sound unhappy with him in the slightest, which means that either Futakuchi hadn't been saying bad things about him, or that you simply don't care. Atsumu relaxes a tiny bit.

"Ah, sorry." He turns around, the self-deprecating thoughts slowly leaving his mind one-by-one upon seeing the soft smile beginning to settle on your face.

"I came all the way down here and you were about to run away?" you muse, and Atsumu quickly shakes his head.

"It's not like that, (Y/N). It's just — "

"Don't worry, nothing Futakuchi said upset me." Atsumu stills at your words. "You were concerned about that, weren't you?"

"...Maybe," he admits after a moment.

"Relax, Miya. You've got your faults — I know that for sure — but it's not anyone's perfect either. Everything Futakuchi said was what I already know." You roll your eyes. "So stop frowning, idiot. You're gonna get wrinkles." Atsumu immediately unfurls his eyebrows.

"I don't want to lose you," he confesses quietly. "Not now, when we're finally not at each others' throats every hour of the day."

"Put more faith in me. Nothing more can happen if you don't trust me the way you want me to trust you." You suddenly reach for his hand, squeezing it softly with your own.

"Just to make sure, yer finally acceptin' my feelings... right?" Atsumu asks a bit uncertainly, unable to look away from where your smaller hand grasps his.

"Not just accepting them. I'm thinking there might be a possibility I could return them," you explain rather boldly, and Atsumu's lungs suddenly constrict with a combination of surprise and excitement. "So don't give up on me yet, okay?"

"...Okay..." Atsumu whispers, his previous doubts fading. Indeed, his past self had completely undeserving of your affection. He was selfish, only thinking for himself when he practically begged for your attention every day with the way he treated you instead of concerning himself with how you might've felt. Atsumu simply never thought you would feel the same way for him, yet that was no excuse for his act throughout the years. He just wished that he had realized all of this sooner; maybe then he wouldn't have had to deal with so much uncertainty.

"Stop thinking so hard. I can tell that the gears in your small brain are turning real hard," you mock him using one of his own lines.

"Hey!" Atsumu exclaims, appalled. He pauses for a moment, trying to think of something intelligent to say. "You... meant it, right? That yer givin' me a chance?"

"I meant every word I said, Miya." You let out a small sigh. "Don't waste it."

"I won't."

He won't. He'll make it all up to you, and finally become someone who is deserving of your love.

Atsumu makes this promise to himself as the pair of you walk back towards the castle, hand-in-hand.


End file.
